A Virginia sheriff's office told Fox News Digital that a Halloween event was being held at the popular theme park Kings Dominion over the weekend when a fight broke out between young people, inciting a disturbance that turned into “panic chaos” among the 300 people present.
Sergeant Steve Wills of the Hanover County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened Saturday night following a recent stabbing of an 18-year-old at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and a fight between minors at the nearby Chesterfield County Fair in late August.
“It seems to be a societal norm now that younger generations are causing chaos, and that's exactly what we've seen,” Wills told Fox News Digital.
“We initially responded to a fight inside the arcade. A police lieutenant was right there and radioed for help. He told us there were about 300 people there,” Wills said at Kings Dominion.
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Visitors ride the “Intimidator 305” roller coaster at Kings Dominion amusement park in Doswell, Virginia, in July 2011. Police say a fight broke out there Saturday night. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“There were a couple of people who were encouraging it, inciting it, fighting amongst a disorganized crowd of a few hundred people. It was difficult to get through the crowd to get to what was going on,” Wills continued. “And then as we started to push them out of the arcade, the group went outside, they spread out, and somebody yelled, 'Guns!' And then as we were trying to restore order and go outside to see if anyone had guns, the people we'd just pushed out of the arcade started rushing back in. It was pure chaos.”
As of Tuesday, no arrests had been made in connection with the incident. Wills said 14 officers had to be called to the scene at Kings Dominion outside Richmond, Virginia.
“We as parents and as a society have to do more to help our children be polite and have good manners,” Wills told Fox News Digital, adding, “We have to control their behaviour more, instill good values and make sure they don't behave like this when we're not around.”
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Police say the fight happened Saturday night in the arcade area of Kings Dominion. (Google Maps)
Kings Dominion did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Park spokesperson He told WTVR During the inclement weather, “a minor physical confrontation occurred between minors who had taken refuge in the Candy Apple Grove area of the park, but was quickly thwarted by security teams and those involved were subsequently banned from the park,” the release said.
“Normal operations resumed once the weather improved. No weapons have been used or found within the park,” the spokesman added.
Kings Dominion describes its Halloween Haunt event as “a yelling, screaming, good time.”
“Tornado” water ride at Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Doswell, Virginia. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“When night falls on the park, hundreds of underworld creatures emerge to make your worst nightmares come true. Spine-chilling haunted houses, elaborate scare zones and terrifying haunted mazes will force you to sleep with the lights on,” the website description reads.
