A Texas man was accused of pushing a stroller – with his child inside – into a Disney employee and pushing her during a terse exchange before the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.
Guest Accused of Pushing Stroller Into and Shoulder Checking Cast Member
Andrew Dixon, 35, of Flower Mound, Texas, was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with battery, according to public records.
His attorney denied Dixon committed any wrongdoing and blamed Disney for the incident.
“Mr. Dixon has pleaded not guilty, and we plan to fight for him throughout the legal process,” Dixon’s attorneys at Darling Law said in a statement. “We believe that if any contact occurred, it was started by the Disney employee.”
After 8 p.m., a Disney cast member directed Dixon and his family away from a closed area near Cinderella Castle before the fireworks show.
The cast member said she “planted her feet and the male proceeded to use his shoulder to push into her right shoulder,” the Orange County Sheriff’s arrest report said. “The stroller containing the child was also used to push into her, running over her feet in the process.”
Dixon’s wife apologized to the cast member, the arrest report said.
One other person — it’s unclear if she was a cast member or a guest — witnessed the incident.
The witness told the sheriff’s office she saw “a family consisting of a man, woman and child in a stroller attempting to walk around the cast member. (The witness) observed the cast member step in front of them, placing herself approximately 2 feet in front of the family and advised the family that the bridge was closed and to take an alternative route. (The witness) advised the male said something (the witness) could not discern and then used the stroller to push the cast member out of the way, making contact with the cast member. (The witness) advised the male used his left shoulder and arm to make contact with the cast member. (The witness) then observed the male turn back and attempt to start saying something to the cast member, and then proceeded by ‘flipping her off’ as he was walking away.”
The witness found law enforcement to help.
Dixon was found watching the fireworks with his family and spoke with authorities where he gave his side of the story.
Dixon denied intentionally touching the cast member.
“Andrew was with his wife and child inside Magic Kingdom attempting to find a spot for the imminent firework display. Andrew advised as he was walking towards the bridge, he observed a cast member attempting to direct traffic away from the bridge,” according to the arrest affidavit. “Andrew advised there were many other groups of people who had successfully made it past the cast member, and he attempted to do the same. As he tried to navigate around the cast member, Andrew advised the cast member lunged towards him, initiating contact with her chest against Andrew’s back in a ‘chest bump’ fashion as Andrew tried to navigate his way around her.”
The arrest report noted Disney said no video surveillance existed that captured the incident but Dixon’s attorneys were skeptical of that claim.
“During the investigation, Mr. Dixon insisted that the video would prove his innocence. We’ve requested the video from Disney and the State Attorney but haven’t received it yet. We want the video to be released to the public so that everyone can see that Mr. Dixon’s actions during the incident were not criminal in nature,” his attorneys said in a statement. “He also denies ever making an offensive gesture, as claimed in the police report.”
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