Changes are being made at Six Flags America in Prince Geroge's County, Maryland after chaos and violence erupted at the theme park’s annual Fright Fest over the weekend.
Videos circulating on social media show teenagers assaulting each other in multiple different fights and vandalizing vehicles Saturday night. The violence resulted in the park closing an hour early.
Videos show officers on scene trying to intervene in the brawls.
Prince George’s County police says some victims have since come forward to file reports, they are still working to identify suspects and no arrests have been made.
PGPD released the following statement to FOX 5 DC Monday:
"The Prince George’s County Police Department is working to identify those who were victimized by acts of vandalism that occurred this weekend at Six Flags Amusement Park. We are reviewing video and attempting to identify tag numbers and victims as well as potential suspects. Once we identify the suspects then the States Attorney’s Office can determine potential charges."
"Prince George’s County Police Department meets regularly with Six Flags to discuss public safety and the security plan of the amusement park. The plan established is based off the previous year’s crowd history and upcoming events. The Police Department is meeting with Six Flags later this week to review the security plan and offer recommendations."
Witnesses said many of the people fighting were 14 and 15 years old. They said they did not know what caused the destructive behavior.
A woman visiting from out of town said she was confused when Six Flags starting telling her and others to leave.
"Because we weren't being told what was happening when we asked security, we had no idea why we were being told to leave the park," said the woman, who asked only to be identified by her first name, Jenny. "That created a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios in my head. We immediately got in the car and tried to get far from the property out of fear of what it could be."
A spokesman for Six Flags America released the following statement:
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for any inappropriate behavior at our park. We continuously evaluate our security and safety protocols, and meet regularly with local law enforcement to review and refine our practices. To avoid compromising the effectiveness of our security protocols, both seen and unseen, we do not disclose the details of our security plans. To further ensure the safety of our guests and team members, the park will close at 9 p.m. for the remainder of Fright Fest, with no re-entry starting at 6 p.m. and no new entry starting at 7 p.m."
