In a summer filled with viral Walt Disney World fights and meltdowns, we uncovered another tense situation between guests at the parks.
This time, a 17-year-old girl said a stranger grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her over an argument over a viewing spot to watch the fireworks show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on June 19, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s report. The Sheriff’s department incorrectly uses the term “fireworks show” in referral to the nighttime projection show at the Chinese Theater.
Disney Security stepped in to split up the suspect and the girl’s family. The suspect — an unknown woman wearing Mickey Mouse ears, a leopard print shirt, and jean shorts — fled the scene when Disney Security became involved and hasn’t been arrested.
The 17-year-old girl, her 14-year-old brother, and their 35-year-old father were visiting Disney World from Wisconsin and waited to watch the fireworks show in an area that was off limits, the sheriff’s report said.
Cast Members asked the trio to move, redirecting them to a different area. That’s when the girl and her family came into contact with the suspect. The suspect thought the trio was cutting off her group even though the girl’s father apologized, saying, “Excuse me.” The suspect’s group said they were there first.
The girl “removed herself from the situation” and then the suspect confronted her.
What seemed to trigger the suspect was she assumed the girl’s father was really her brother. The suspect demanded the girl go get her father even though the girl explained that was her dad.
“The suspect begins to tell [the girl] ‘she needs to get her dad right now’ and she feels horrible for (the girl),’” the sheriff’s report said. “The suspect then grabs [the girl] by her shoulders and begins to shake her while saying she needs to get her dad.”
The strangers “proceeded to scream and verbally attack” the two teenagers, the report said.
The girl’s brother told authorities he “observed the lady get close to (his sister’s) face while she was yelling at her. [The sister] told the lady not to touch her, and she was minor. The lady grabbed [the sister] and started to shake her and threw her to the side,” the sheriff’s report said.
The attack happened on the girl’s last night of vacation. The family left the next day to go back to Wisconsin.
“Disney advised they will be working on finding additional information of the incident and suspect,” the incident report said.
The sheriff’s report noted the case was an active investigation.
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