Posted on September 24, 2024

300-Plus Teens Fighting at Kings Dominion’s Halloween Haunt Was ‘Mass Chaos,’ Deputy Says

WTVR, September 22, 2024

A massive fight that broke out during Kings Dominion’s Halloween Haunt Saturday night was “mass chaos,” according to authorities.

Sgt. Steve Wills with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said roughly 300 teens were fighting outside the park’s arcade.

Wills said the number of teens outweighed deputies and that some young people retreated into restaurants and then flipped over tables. He said the crowd was so large that de-escalation was law enforcement’s goal.

“We had eight off-duty officers assigned to Kings Dominion,” Wills said. “We had to bring in six more off the road to try to contain this environment to try to force these individuals out of the park.”

It was an effort that proved effective enough to avoid any arrests.

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A parent of a worker at the park told CBS 6 that there were reports of “multiple stabbings and a gun brandished at the arcade area.”

However, Wills said that no one was stabbed. Additionally, while there were “multiple reports of firearm possessions,” Willis said deputies did not see any weapons.

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Wills said this was the second night that something like this happened at the theme park.

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“Don’t just drop your kids off and leave them at Kings Dominion like it’s a daycare,” Wills said. “Be there be present with them and get a handle on that behavior before it becomes a problem that we have to address.”

News of the fights at Kings Dominion’s comes after Busch Gardens Williamsburg implemented a chaperone policy for Howl-O-Scream on Friday. As a result, anyone under 16 needs to have a chaperone who is 21 or older to enter the park.

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