Guests Say Altercations Continue At Valleyfair Amusement Park

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities family says a fun night out turned into a night of fear and disappointment.

Kristin Warzenski says she and her family were looking forward to going to ValleySCARE last Saturday night, but she said fights broke out and she and her 9-year-old son were caught in the middle.

Warzenski and her son were waiting in line for a ride when a girl accused another girl of budging.

"The aggressor in this situation had wanted to get at the girl who was standing in front of my son and so she ran and charged at her and ended up hitting me and then ended up hitting me and then hitting my son," Warzenski said.

Then the girl turned on Warzenski.

"So when I turned around and said, 'My son is here,' she threatened my life. She threatened to beat me up," Warzenski said.

She captured two cellphone videos of arguments that night. Warzenski said one shows a single security guard trying to break up a group of people.

"It took other security a significant amount of time to come and help him. It puts him in such a dangerous situation," Warzenski said. "You can't control that many people."

It's not the first time the park has had problems with fighting.

On opening night of ValleySCARE last month, Valleyfair had to be evacuated after fights broke out.

In a statement, a Valleyfair spokesperson said they have increased security in 3 ways since opening night, they've added more local law enforcement to the park. They've added more contracted security, and they've also added more Valleyfair park officers.

Valleyfair said they use metal detectors and other security systems not visible to guests. They said the people fighting last weekend were removed from the park, but Warzenski said whatever improvements they've made didn't help her and her son.

"Something terrible is going to happen to someone's child and that's going to be on their hands," Warzenski said.

Valleyfair said they encourage guests to contact a ride operator or security guard if they see a fight. They are also encouraged to call 911 if a staff member is not close by.