A night that was supposed to be filled with family fun took a dark turn at California’s largest corn maze, where a violent altercation led to a stabbing incident.
This event unfolded at Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon around 9:15 p.m. on Friday, resulting in two individuals being hospitalized.
The victims were identified as a 19-year-old from Dixon and a 20-year-old from Vallejo. The suspect, a 28-year-old man from Sacramento, has been taken into custody.
The investigation is ongoing, and details regarding the victims’ conditions have not been released.
A representative from the Solano County Sheriff’s Office referred to the incident as an “isolated” occurrence that escalated from a disagreement.
“Clearing the corn maze at night was, you know, a bit of a challenge, but we managed to recover some evidence,” the spokesperson said, mentioning that a weapon was found at the scene.
Despite what happened, operations at Cool Patch Pumpkins resumed on Saturday.
“There was a confrontation among some individuals in the corn maze yesterday. The police responded swiftly. We’ve always been a family-oriented pumpkin patch,” Seth Cooley, the founder’s son, explained.
The establishment reassured the public that there’s “no current public safety threat” and reiterated their commitment to a safe, family-friendly environment.
Cool Patch Pumpkins was founded in 2001 by Matt Cooley, starting with his daughters selling pumpkins on the roadside. It has grown into a family business housing California’s largest corn maze and a pumpkin patch.
Over the years, the maze expanded so much that it earned spots in the Guinness World Records in both 2007 and 2014, reaching 63 acres before being reduced to approximately 40 acres today.
