Great America Increases Security After Chaotic Night Of Teen Fights
SANTA CLARA (KPIX 5) -- Security at California's Great America was beefed up Sunday evening, the night after as many as 100 teens got into fights and a number of cellphones stolen at the amusement park's haunted house attraction.
The disturbances happened at Great America's Halloween Haunt, the annual haunted house set up on the park for the holiday.
Park patron Noe Bracamontes posted video of the fight on Snapchat live Saturday evening. At first, two girls can be seen throwing punches. Then a zapping sound is heard.
Bracamontes is pretty sure it was a stun gun.
"We heard it and I was like, 'Is that what I think it is?' She just started like, Tasing the girl. Almost like stabbing her in a way," said Bracamontes. "It was chaotic. It was hectic."
Saturday night at Great America's Halloween Haunt turned ugly after witnesses said groups of young teenagers crowded into the park and got into a series of fights for no apparent reason.
As one fight started between teens, other teens would swarm around to shoot video, which seemed to encourage more fights.
"Like, 'Oh, he looked at me weird.' Or 'She's looking at me weird,'" explained Bracamontes. "Somebody bumps into somebody. There's a lot of people there. Some might take it as disrespectful."
Police said as many as 100 young people were involved in the fights. Some customers sustained minor injuries. Others reported their cellphones were stolen.
Santa Clara police reported they made two arrests. One juvenile was taken into custody for theft, while another person was arrested for public intoxication.
A spokesman for Great America reported there was an incident that required police to be called and insisted the park did not evacuate or close early.
However, one employee told KPIX 5 off camera that once Santa Clara police officers arrived, they started ushering customers and some employees out of the park just after midnight, an hour before the parks scheduled 1 a.m. closing time Saturday evening.
Sunday night, Santa Clara police stepped up patrols in the area. But on Saturday, Bracamontes said the security guards were seriously outnumbered, so the ones he saw did little to intercede.
"They didn't really do anything. I'm pretty sure they were overwhelmed," said Bracamontes.