A fight involving 300 youth broke out at an amusement park in Kansas City on Saturday, April 20.
Cell phone video taken at the scene shows officers and deputies trying to keep the crowd back, a difficult task as fights seemed to break out all around the area.
The brawl started near the Camp Snoopy section of Worlds of Fun amusement park a half hour before the park was set to close, at around 9:30 p.m.
“We were walking towards the other side of the park, and all of a sudden we heard screaming coming,” Madi-Lynn McDaniel, who recorded video of the incident, told The Kansas City Star. “And before you could even react there were hundreds of kids like streaming toward us.”
Posted by Madi-Lynn Mcdaniel on Saturday, April 20, 2019
McDaniel was surrounded by the fighting, as parents desperately grabbed their small children and the police arrived to take control of the situation.
“They would take one kid and break up a fight and his friends, or her friends, would go after the cops,” McDaniel said. “There were at least 10 to 15 different fights.”
Posted by Madi-Lynn Mcdaniel on Saturday, April 20, 2019
A young employee at Worlds of Fun was shaken up by the fighting.
“It was very nerve-racking,” Joshua Harris told KSHB. “I was really worried about my friends the whole time, trying to see where they were.”
Harris further described the chaotic scene.
“People were going everywhere,” he told KSHB. “Some people were trying to find their sisters and their brothers, screaming, the park going crazy. Everybody was running places; cops were everywhere. When I got outside, police were everywhere, parents were trying to pick their kids up. It was crazy.”
(1/2) Last night deputies at World’s of Fun requested assistance to disperse an unruly group of teenagers starting fights. One person was cited for Peace Disturbance and released at the scene. There were no injuries reported and no arrests were made.
— Clay County Sheriff (@SheriffClayCo) April 21, 2019
(2/2)The group of bad actors at WOF only represent a fraction of guests that were there to enjoy the attractions. It’s unfortunate that families & children had their evening disrupted by these events. We will continue to work with WOF to ensure the safety of their guests & staff.
— Clay County Sheriff (@SheriffClayCo) April 21, 2019
The Clay County Sheriff issued a statement via Twitter about the incident.
“Last night deputies at World’s of Fun requested assistance to disperse an unruly group of teenagers starting fights. One person was cited for Peace Disturbance and released at the scene. There were no injuries reported and no arrests were made,” wrote the sheriff. “The group of bad actors at WOF only represent a fraction of guests that were there to enjoy the attractions. It’s unfortunate that families & children had their evening disrupted by these events. We will continue to work with WOF to ensure the safety of their guests & staff.”
The amusement park also responded to the controversy, in a statement obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle.
“There was an altercation in the park last night. The altercation was broken up by local and park authorities and the guests were removed from the park. The safety and security of our guests and employees is at the core of what we do. The authorities responded quickly and handled the situation appropriately.”
The park has not released any updates to the public via its social media channels. Reports also do not indicate why the fights broke out.
Some commenters on McDaniel’s video post were left with questions about what happened that night.
“No injuries? What type of supposedly massive ‘fight’ results in no injuries? Not even a busted nose? Were they fighting with pillows?” commented Brian Rudene.
Some called into question World of Fun’s age admission policy.
“This is what ruins things for everyone else… for years teens have had the run of the place.. parents drop them off and pick them up later.. using WOF as a babysitter… I think they should have a new rule no one under the age of 18 without adult supervision.. and that doesn’t mean a brother or sister a couple of years older… I mean an actual responsible adult,” commented Susie Reising Engle.
The Worlds of Fun’s website does not specifically mention an age requirement for entrance, but it does mention various height requirement for many of the rides. Only those who are below a designated height for some of the rides are required to have a companion. However, the companion only has to be 14 years old or above.