MASON, Ohio (WCMH) – An Ohio theme park was forced to close early Saturday night after reports of rowdy crowds and altercations.
Reports and 911 calls of unruly crowds at the Kings Island amusement park near Cincinnati had the Mason Police Department calling the Ohio State Highway Patrol for backup, according to the patrol office’s public information officer.
“On Saturday, the decision was made to close the park 30 minutes early due to unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of teenagers. This behavior did not align with our park’s values, and was not the experience we want any guest to have while visiting Kings Island,” the park said in a statement to WLWT.
Footage of one incident, recorded by guest Shan Powell, shows a commotion breaking out inside the park, though it is unclear who is fighting, or how many were participating in the altercation. Police and/or security, meanwhile, can be seen trying to back people in the direction of Powell.
David Long, from CincyPhotography.com, told of chaos at the park.
“I was at the park all day,” he wrote in an email to Nexstar’s WCMH. “Fights broke out all day… a girl was slammed on the ground and lots of ambulances all day long.”
Long also recorded footage of Ohio State Highway Patrol arriving at the park before closing.
Both Long and Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesperson suggested there were a lot of kids bussed into the park. Authorities were called at 10:33 p.m. and told of multiple fights in the parking lot of Kings Island, per an Ohio State Highway Patrol document

One police officer noted in the police report that he tried to separate a man and a woman who were fighting, but in doing so, “an unknown subject” deployed his pepper spray,” after which both the male and female fled. In a separate incident, another officer responded to find a park guest with cuts, bruises and a broken tooth, which were allegedly the result of someone punching him after he attempted to prevent a group of teens from cutting in line.
No arrests have been made as of Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing.