Fights involving about 300 people break out at Virginia amusement park

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC/WAVY) — Multiple fights broke out at Kings Dominion on Saturday night during the park’s fall-themed Halloween Haunt.

According to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, they responded to a call at around 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 about a fight that had broken out at Kings Dominion.

The initial fight started in the arcade area of the park, but as deputies attempted to remove the individuals additional disorderly fights broke out in other areas.

It took around two hours to remove the group that consisted of around 300 people — mostly teenagers and young adults. It was around 11 p.m. when deputies were able to entirely clear the park.

Recently, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg implemented a chaperone policy after several fights at the park, stating that all visitors ages 15 years old and younger need to be accompanied by a chaperone while attending the park after 4 p.m. on Howl-O-Scream nights.

In addition to the chaperone policy, James City County Police are now enforcing a curfew throughout the county.

The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is not aware at this time of any stabbings or shootings that took place during the fights. If someone was stabbed or shot, they left the scene without reporting it to police.

8News reached out to Kings Dominion for a response about the incident, here’s what they had to say:

On Saturday, September 21, rides and outdoor attractions in the park temporarily shut down due to inclement weather. A minor physical altercation occurred among some juveniles seeking refuge in the park’s Candy Apple Grove area, but was quickly halted by the security team and parties involved were subsequently banned from the park. Normal operations resumed once the weather cleared the area. At no point were any weapons used or found to be inside the park.

Geoff Zindren, Director of Communications at Kings Dominion

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