When you scatter things, you drop them or toss them so that they spread out, or you make them run off in many different directions. And when things or people scatter, they take off running in every direction. Scattered things are messy, just spread out here and there or all over. You can even feelscattered, like your mind is a big mess, with many different thoughts bouncing all over the place.
Below, the scared gnomes scatter in all directions. They run off every which way.
(Source)
This poor moviegoer just scattered popcorn all over the floor.