One person was shot and killed in a shootout with police outside Six Flags Over Georgia shortly after an “unruly” crowd sparked a large brawl on opening day Saturday.
Cobb County police were called to the amusement park in suburban Atlanta around 6 p.m., two hours before the park closed, to respond to a disturbance caused by a crowd fighting inside the gate.
Cobb County police said a “sizable unruly crowd” of about 500 to 600 guests was “running around the park and fighting.” Statement to WSB-TV.
social media footage Footage from Atlanta obtained by Fox 5 showed nearly a dozen people kicking and punching people on the ground, with several people running away and the person being hit lying motionless.
As security forces removed the crowd from the park, an unknown suspect opened fire on police.
The officers reportedly returned fire, hitting one person.
The person’s condition was unknown and he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, about 11 miles east of the shooting scene.
The park confirmed the shooting, but said it did not occur on Six Flags property.
“There was police activity involving gunfire. We would like to confirm that there was no shooting on our property or in our parking lot,” the statement, obtained by the outlet, said. “This happened on South Service Road, which is not owned or operated by Six Flags.”
“But we join our community and the Atlanta area in our commitment to safety and security. We will not tolerate such activity here.”
The park condemned the actions of “underage youth” and the way it disrupted community events.
“It is extremely disappointing to see our community being disrupted by groups of underage youth at public events across the region. “Like other venues in the area, we do not allow this type of trouble to occur in the park.” We are fully committed to removing them from the public and from our premises.”
“Our goal is to provide safe and enjoyable entertainment. We employ state-of-the-art security systems and metal detection, maintain a strong and vigilant public safety department, and maintain a strong and vigilant public safety department at all times, both inside and outside of our parks. We have strong support from the Cobb County Police Department. All guests are expected to abide by our strict code of conduct, and those who do not abide by that code of conduct are not welcome.
Six Flags Over Georgia opens its 57th season Saturday at 11 a.m.
Visitors who were in line during opening hours disputed some of the park’s security claims, saying they entered the park without being tested.
“They didn’t even check my bag, they just told me to go to the entrance.” Liam Thompson he told FOX 5 Atlanta.
It was not immediately clear whether any arrests were made in connection with the shooting or the large crowd at the park.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation into the shooting.
