Four Guests were arrested last week at Six Flags after attacking a sheriff’s deputy and security guards. The guests also reportedly refused to leave the park. The incident took place at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown on July 14.
The situation unfolded after the group of Guests refused to leave the Park, with one deputy attempting to detain a group member where a struggle ensued, according to Constable Mark Herman.
“During the struggle, another male suspect jumped on the deputy’s back,” Herman said. “The security guards on scene attempted to assist the deputy when a female suspect struck him on the head with a closed fist. Another female suspect then bit the security guard’s left arm.”
All four Guests were detained and arrested following the attack. The people involved were identified as Luis Gonzales, Angel Soto, Gessinia Loya-Gonzalez, and Nubia Loya-Gonzalez.
Gonzales was charged with retaliation. Soto was charged with resisting arrest, and both women were charged with assault on a security officer.
Fights have sprung up across all major theme Parks recently, with a full-on brawl breaking out at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Knott’s Berry Farm, the famous California theme Park was forced to close multiple hours early after major fights broke out throughout the Park. Days later, the Park announced it would be introducing a chaperone policy to ensure Guest safety.
Yet another theme park was forced to close after a brawl broke out.
No matter what amusement park you visit, whether it be a Disney Park in Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort, or if it is one of the hundreds more around the nation, including Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, the all-new Lost Island Theme Park, or many others, you want to know that you’re safe when visiting.
However, a recent string of incidents at theme parks involving Guest behavior has forced many theme parks to amend their policies and take a look at safety measures.
California’s Knott’s Berry Farm recently saw several fights break out in one night, forcing staff members to close down the Park. As a result, Knott’s Berry Farm introduced a chaperone policy that will no longer allow those ages 17 and under to enter the theme park without an adult aged 21 and over.
In addition, a massive brawl between families broke out at Magic Kingdom recently, resulting in arrests and hospitalizations. If that weren’t enough, just down the road at Universal Orlando Resort, the CityWalk area was placed on lockdown after reports of a potential shooter scare. In the end, the Orlando Police revealed that there were no weapons and no shots had been fired, but there had been a fight between teenagers.
Now, yet another amusement park was forced to shut down after a brawl broke out.
Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon was forced to shut down this past Friday evening after a fight broke out, reports from KGW8 indicate. The amusement park shut down an hour and a half early because of “unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of patrons.”
During the altercation, a security guard reported that they heard a teenager on the phone tell someone to “come shoot up the Park.” However, police questioned the teen and they said that they were only calling for a ride home and that someone else from an opposite group had made the statement.
No arrests were made, but the teen was trespassed from the amusement park at security’s request.
Oaks Park released a statement following the incident, which said:
“Customer and staff safety is always our top priority at Oaks Park,” said Emily MacKay with Oaks Park. “Unlawful behavior is not tolerated on our property and we have measures in place to deal with individuals who choose not to respect our staff or their fellow park guests.
“Those protocols were followed yesterday when an incident involving several patrons became a cause of safety concern for park management. We appreciate the outstanding response from yesterday’s park visitors who quickly and courteously followed our directions and vacated the park without further incident. We look forward to many more days of family fun with our friends and neighbors.”
The amusement park reopened on Saturday and everything ran smoothly, according to reports.
When you ask someone to think of top theme parks, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to hear them mention Disney World’s four incredible Parks — Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. They may also mention Universal Studious, and maybe even SeaWorld. And while us Disney fans think there is no better place to vacation than a Disney Park, it seems that most people don’t even rank Disney as a top theme park in the world or even the United States.
The travel site Tripadvisor recently came out with its rankings for top theme parks in both the United States and around the world and out of all of its theme parks, Disney only had one rank on the Best in the U.S. list. and none ranked globally. Universal Studios, however, not only had several Parks rank on the best in the U.S. list, but also ranked as one of the top theme parks in the world.
1. Dollywood: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 2. Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Orlando 3. Magic Kingdom Park: Orlando 4. Universal Studios Hollywood: Los Angeles 5. Universal Studios Florida: Orlando 6. Silver Dollar City: Branson, Missouri 7. Funland: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 8. Fun Spot America: Kissimmee, Florida 9. Santa’s Village: Jefferson, New Hampshire 10. Busch Gardens: Tampa, Florida
While there are a number of Orlando theme parks that made it on the list of best theme parks in the United States, only one Universal Park made it to the top ten list for best global amusement parks. Zero Disney Parks made the global list.
1. Siam Park: Adeje, Spain 2. Puy du Fou: Les Epesses, France 3. Beto Carrero World: Penha, Brazil 4. Puy du Fou España: Toledo, Spain 5. The Milky Way Adventure Park: Clovelly, United Kingdom 6. Hot Park: Rio Quente, Brazil 7. Waterbom Bali: Kuta, Indonesia 8. Dollywood: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 9. Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Orlando 10. Parque Terra Mágica Florybal: Canela, Brazil
According to Tripadvisor, the top theme parks were picked based on Guest reviews for the experiences, tours, activities, and attractions that each theme park offers. While Disney may not have had a lot of top rankings, this list definitely gives people a ton of other great recommendations when it comes to theme parks they may want to experience!
The theme park world was struck in a major way back in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the business and forced many venues to close for months, and others for even longer.
While Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, SeaWorld, Cedar Fair, and Busch Gardens are all open now and are welcoming crowds similar to that of what was seen in pre-pandemic times, many theme parks are still picking up the pieces of decisions made during the pandemic.
Cedar Fair operates 11 theme parks, including Knott’s Berry Farm, California’s Great America, Ohio’s Cedar Point, Virginia’s Kings Dominion, Canada’s Wonderland, and Carowinds. The theme parks are visited by approximately 25 million people each year. The company is headquartered at Cedar Point in Ohio.
Just recently, it was reported that the case will now be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court. While Cedar Fair has attempted to have the class-action lawsuit dismissed, this hasn’t happened and now it’s certain that the case will be heard by the highest judiciary body in the state.
Cedar Point argues that it didn’t breach its contract because the pandemic was unforeseeable, and it extended pass benefits through 2021.
Both Disney Park Annual Pass holders, as well as Universal offered Annual Passholders partial refunds or an extension of their pass when their theme parks closed for several months during the pandemic.
This isn’t the only lawsuit happening in the theme park world currently. Several theme parks are being sued over their enforcement of mask mandates back in 2020 and a federal judge just recently approved a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Disneyland in relation to the Magic Key.
Perhaps the most prominent lawsuit recently field was that from 14-year-old Tyre Sampson’s family following the teenager’s tragic fatal fall on the Orlando FreeFall at ICON Park. Sampson’s family sued more than a dozen parties for negligence and alleges that SlingShot Group, which operated the attraction, manually manipulated the sensors.
February 11, Disney held their first-quarter earnings report meetings. With the COVID-19 vaccination rolling out, one topic of discussion was if the mask requirements will continue at Walt Disney World. According to Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, we can expect to see the mask requirements last through 2021, but hopes masks won’t be needed by 2022.
As reported by OrlandoSentinel: As the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out, Chapek said he envisions some form of social distancing and mask-wearing to remain in place for all of 2021. “That’s our expectation,” he said Thursday during a first-quarter earnings call that disclosed the parks and consumer products endured a $119 million operating income loss compared with a profit of $2.52 billion a year earlier.
What could be a “game changer” for Disney’s theme parks rebound was Thursday’s news that vaccines could potentially be available by April for anyone who wants them, Chapek said. “Will there be some overlap until we know that we have hit herd immunity? Sure there will,” Chapek said “Do we also believe that we’ll be in the same state of six-feet social distancing and mask-wearing in ‘22? Absolutely not.”
