Screengrab via Inman Entertainment YouTube
The family that was involved in a brutal fight at Disneyland Toontown last week will now face the Orange Country District Attorney for possible charges.
The O.C. Register reported that Anaheim Police presented their case on Tuesday for the prosecutors to review. If the prosecutors decide that felony charges should be filed, they will also pursue any related misdemeanor accounts in the case. According to the Los Angeles Times, police D.A.’s spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said of the case, “Police believe there is the possibility of felony conduct.”
IF Orange County prosecutors decide not to press felony charges, the case will be referred to the Anaheim city attorney where the family could still face misdemeanor charges.
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5 Minutes of Uninterrupted Violence
The nearly 5-minute long video was filmed in front of Goofy’s Playhouse at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. A verbal spat into an all-out brawl when a woman in a white shirt spit in a man’s face wearing a red shirt. The fight escalates again and again from there as punches and slaps are thrown by everybody in the family, leaving several of them injured.
There were several children stuck in the middle of the melee that were miraculously unharmed. Several parkgoers stepped in towards the end including a football coach from Texas and member of the Disneyland cleaning staff. The fight doesn’t truly end until the man in the red shirt starts punching the women in the beige in the face several times, causing a group of staff and guests to gang tackle him.
Despite the brutal nature of the fight and the number of people involved, it took security over 5 minutes to respond and break things up.
The video ends with the three women of the family on the ground, including an older woman who was in a mobility scooter, and the man in the red shirt pacing angrily.
Viral Video Leads to Possible Charges
Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt told Heavy that no charges were filed at the time of the incident due to the family being uncooperative with the police investigation and refusing to press charges on each other. He said detectives were made aware of the video the next day after it racked up over 3 million views on YouTube and have since pursued a criminal case.
The Anaheim Police Department also posted a Tweet that updated the public, tagging Orange County DA Todd Spitzer and asking the public for any tips or information they may have to help them build their case. They also tagged the OCFJC Foundation for anybody seeking help for domestic violence due to the nature of the video.
Yesterday, the Anaheim Police Department presented the case from Disneyland to @OCDAToddSpitzer for review and prosecution. If you are, or if you know a victim of #DomesticViolence, seek help. In Orange County, the @OCFJCFoundation can help
In a statement to ABC 7 Los Angeles, a Disneyland spokesperson said, “Any type of violence is inexcusable and will not be tolerated. Those involved were immediately removed from the premises and turned over to the Anaheim Police Department.”
The video of the fight was one of the biggest trending topics on July 7 and has put a spotlight on the Anaheim Police Department for how they would respond. The family may have gotten away without any repercussions had the video not surfaced but now they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.