UPDATE: Some Guests Arrested, Some Banned From Walt Disney World After Magic Kingdom Brawl

Shannen Ace

Updated on:

Magic Kingdom brawl

UPDATE: Some Guests Arrested, Some Banned From Walt Disney World After Magic Kingdom Brawl

A guest involved in yesterday’s Magic Kingdom brawl has reached out to us again, letting us know that their family has been banned from Walt Disney World and guests from the other family involved were arrested.Magic Kingdom brawl

The fight happened outside Mickey’s PhilharMagic at Magic Kingdom. According to the guest who first contacted us yesterday, the family wearing matching shirts pushed a guest from the other family when in line for the show. After exiting, the family in matching shirts waited outside the theater to confront the other family. The confrontation turned into a shouting match, and eventually a physical fight before Walt Disney World security intervened and escorted the guests away for statements. One member of the family who reached out to us was taken away in an ambulance due to a large cut on his chin. Others had cuts and bruises.

The same guest messaged us around midnight last night to say that their family had been trespassed (banned) and two members of the matching shirt family were arrested.

“We got banned from Disney forever unless we contact the head,” they wrote. “2 people from other party got arrested, and the rest left, no one from our fam was arrested yet, and they still have us here. They r making us leave our resort which is riviera even though we are here for another 2 weeks. We have to leave Disney property, including typhoon lagoon, and disney springs.”

It sounds like the family would be able to contest the ban with Walt Disney World leaders.

From guests waiting for “Fantasmic!” at Disneyland to the ferry boats at the Magic Kingdom, incidents of guest violence have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than a half dozen reports in the past year alone.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

80 thoughts on “UPDATE: Some Guests Arrested, Some Banned From Walt Disney World After Magic Kingdom Brawl”

  1. It appears to me that the magic is gone! For the same kind of antics I can just go to Walmart on a Saturday night.

    • Nah. The matching shirt family pushed the others family member and then waited outside the ride to confront them? They’re the ones that need to be banned and also deserve to be arrested like the article states.

      • Per article the matching shirts family both pushed and confronted…
        “family wearing matching shirts pushed a guest from the other family when in line for the show. After exiting, the family in matching shirts waited outside the theater to confront the other family.”

    • They should be gone forever…. They clearly don’t know how to act.Their whole group of arching shirts should have been arrested.

  2. Confused…the guests wearing the matching shirts pushed and then waited to confront the family AGAIN???? and they think they have grounds to contest??

    Stay out of my happy place!

  3. The family that started it and used racist comments should be banned, not the family defending themselves! Are they suppose to just stand there and get hit

    • I don’t know the details, but “racist comments” never justify assault. The family in the matching shirts went to escalate the brawl by confront the other family outside the theater. That’s the family who should be permanently banned.

    • Ban the ones that started the commotion.. this is a place for the kids and for them to see such stupidity is appalling .. Stop it before it starts..

      • Totally unacceptable behavior. Looks like that matching shirt family was there for someone’s 6th birthday. DISGUSTING!!! The other family who was defending themselves shouldn’t have been banned but I did hear someone call them monkey’s. Too damned expensive and the family being banned after paying for two weeks should have their money refunded for the remainder of the vacation. I was a Disney in California in 2019. I will never return. The magic is gone and it’s just a money making machine anymore.

    • The article is very confusing so I’m not sure who got banned vs who got arrested.
      Unfortunately, I have to agree with Carol. People from both parties should have been arrested and banned. The dude who punched the lady in particular – how LOW. At the same time Renee we are talking about 2 sets of black and brown people so how sad that they would stoop to making racist comments. The things we say in anger are very telling. I hope they lost their jobs too.

      • 1. Yes Renee, you are to sit there and take it and then go to the proper authorities.
        2. Kristen, for you to cite people’s skin color to make an opinion of how someone should therefore act. It is not skin color. Can you not see that you are making the same racist point.
        3. Violence can’t be justified. Nor does gender even matter,

  4. People like them made me think -Are more people with this kind of behavior will deteriorate more ?
    We are in place we believe would make us at peace and unwind from our troubles.
    We 100% did the opposite.

    • to bad no one showed the video to support what you said, all that can be said thank you joe biden americas destroyer ….

  5. Yet another reason to not go to Disney, remember when we had “Fantasyland” et cetera? Now we have Chicagoland, Pedoland, and Wokeland. What next…Tinkerbell will change her name to Tinkerballs? Hell, even Mickey left his post on the front sign and got the Hell out!

  6. The only thing I can do is to take a cue from Goofy and be nice to everyone. Hopefully it catches on.

  7. Half that comment had nothing to do with article and was essentially just a political statement. Go on Twitter if you want to complain about Disney being “woke”.

  8. What the? So typical family reunion shirt wearing act their typical norm way push another in line then wait for the ppl they assaulted to do more assault. This wouldn’t happen if Walt was alive.

  9. I am a Florida resident and go to Disney World as often as I can.What I’d like to say is…a little civility goes a very long way. Remember we must set good examples for the sake of the children.

  10. Really, love others as I have loved you. What go examples you are for your children and others. Then to complain that you have been banned,am I missing something?!
    Oh yeah don’t forget to sue Disney and get a crap load of money.

  11. Ban them all… and maybe take them out back and give them a beating so they remember not to come back. They ruin it for everyone.

  12. Having been verbally harassed and threatened after politely asking a family to not sit so unnecessarily close to my young daughter – during the height of Covid – I’m not surprised. Staff witnessed and tried to talk them down, but basically told us to find a place to hide (?!?) hoping the other family would cool off. It’s a sad time we live in that people have forgotten themselves (and their sense) no matter how expensive or how public the setting.

  13. My family was at Walt Disney this past weekend. I’ll try to make this short..I left my boys in line for a roller coaster, took my 6 year old daughter to dumbo…my 14 yr was with my 7yr old..I was escorted back to them by one of the ride operators once my daughters ride was done..once the attendant left me with my boys after us squeezing through, many excuse me and so on..a young lady then moves in front of my ch>Loren and i…now maybe she didn’t understand what went on but any way..I place myself back in front of her and moved my boys in front of me..this young lady goes off..I’m not cutting, I’m not “cutting…I never say a word..she then turns to her friends..she thinks I’m cutting, I’m not trying to cut..I never say a word..then a guy comes which I assume is her boyfriend..she then tells him..she thinks I’m trying to cut..that one right there…still not saying anything…I look at her and him and shake my head and laugh…then they guy goes off..why you look>no at her like that, why you look at her like that…all the while what they dididn’know is..I was ready to air that whole ride out with my pepper spray in hand..my 14yr old did intervene and was like momma just go..which I’m thankful he did..but that was all just uncalled for and could have been escalated so fast..behind a roller coaster ride..but if you were cutting,you were sure bent on getting your point across sis…which didn’t even matter cause we all got on the same ride at the same time…way to go

  14. What the hell people! Why are some saying the Magic is gone? This has NOTHING to do with Disney at all. It’s the freaking moron guests causing this sh$t. You can see idiots fight like this anywhere in the world. How is Disney supposed to prevent it? Come on. Use your heads. Disney did the right thing.. they broke it up and used their mighty ban-hammer and moved on. Some of you need to move on as well.

  15. so the family that got assaulted got banned? that is poor decision making on Disney’s part. It is obvious from the video who the aggressors were

  16. there should be some arrests for this disgusting act
    but there should not be any bans from disney parks

  17. I’m a mother and I stride to always teach my daughter values and to live by high moral standards, but in a world like today it sometimes brings difficult challenges.

    2 Timothy 3:1-6

    “But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness,
    4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6 From among these arise men who slyly work their way into households and captivate weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires,…”

    So, what I have come to notice is that humanity has strayed away from gods path.

    Diminished love of God. Jesus foretold: “The love of the greater number will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Jesus meant that love for God would grow cold in most people. Likewise, 2 Timothy 3:4 says that in the last days, such ones would be “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.”

    Ofcourse , How can we get along with thy neighbor– we’ve completely forgotten about our creator!!!

  18. Without blowing this out of proportion (thousands of people visit WDW without incident), however I have noted that people in general are angrier it seems. No one backs down or walks away, if they did they would have continued to enjoy their vacation. I go to WDW multiple times a year and people are very rude and selfish add in alcahol and it can get crazy, I have walked away from multiple incidents in the past few years and never had an incident in the previous 20 years I’ve been going. Read the news, airplanes, road rage, mass shootings or individual altercations, its getting worse

  19. What is wrong with people? Instead of taking matters into their own hands if they think someone cut the line report it to the Disney employee. They may try and rectify it. Yet to wait outside the exhibit to start a fight is really low. No one has the right to lay hands on anyone. Walk away be the bigger person or just leave. So sad children have to see this kind of behavior. Not so much the happiest place in the world anymore. Remember this (WWJD)

  20. What is wrong with people? Instead of taking matters into their own hands if they think someone cut the line report it to the Disney employee. They may try and rectify it. Yet to wait outside the exhibit to start a fight is really low. No one has the right to lay hands on anyone. Walk away be the bigger person or just leave. So sad children have to see this kind of behavior. Not so much the happiest place in the world anymore. Remember this (WWJD)

  21. All members of both families who engaged in any physical contact and the yelling, must be banned for years, if not for life – from all Disney properties. Who behaves like this? Post the Sheriff Deputies in each land, and this trashy behavior will stop. The Dis Security never seems to be around, or they seem to take way too long to respond.

  22. They ALL need to be banned. The last thing we want to see at Disneyland / Disneyworld is violence. That the happiest place on earth. What a BAD example for their kids and all the ones who watched. Terrible!

  23. There is guy there in a green T-shirt and greay shorts he has a beard, he walks up to a lady in red shorts and white hat who is yelling and totally cold cocks her What a brave guy to do that to women I hope he is one of them that gets arrested.

    • The NBC News website reports three people arrested. I suspect that the person you reference is among those arrested and, as he seems to have been detained for quite some time after the incident, is the source for the quotes in this blog.

    • If you look at the early part of the video, the “lady” he hit and another female were beating him in a tag team. His aggression was in retaliation, for her part in hitting him. I don’t agree with is escalating of the situation. Just pointing out what occurred. This whole situation is sad. What ever the original offense, was the result worth it?

    • If Orange County law enforcement viewed this video shortly after it was posted, the person you describe would likely have the most-severe charges of anyone in this incident.

  24. While the responsibility lies with the parties involved, I do think Disney has a definite role here. The new systems they put in place — Genie+, LL’s, and ILL’s — have created a more competitive, stressful environment. When combined with long lines and the heat of the summer, emotions are bound to run high. Obviously, this is sad and, again, the responsibility lies with the people fighting. But the happiest place on earth has definitely taken on a more stressful, “have vs have nots” vibe in the last year due to their changes and extra charges.

    I have personally observed a more hectic environment with pushing and irritated guests since returning to Disney World after the introduction of Genie+. As an organization, they need to be very mindful that these changes are chipping away at the experience – for the worse. There’s still the opportunity to course correct, and I really wish they would open their eyes to what is taking place. Take a step back from the $$$$ and remember that people come to Disney for fun, connection with their family, and a magical experience — not to wake up at 7 am to make purchases, reserve LL’s, stare at their phone all day, etc. It just stresses people out.

    • Couldn’t agree more. Glad you were able to see the bigger picture and that Disney should take some accountability in this problem. Now let’s just hope that they are reading this and all the other complaints that are derived from genie+ and the ending of extra magic hours. They should trust that a good park experience will encourage customers to return, but a stressful experience will force a family to retaliate by choosing a different vacation destination. It’s common sense and after all their successful years in business it shocking that they are looking for a quick money grab anywhere they can find it. Disappointing.

    • Couldn’t agree more….. I hope that the people who decided to ruin the experience for others don’t win the appeal, loose their holiday money and loose any respect they had. This is the most magical place on earth and people who can’t respect it and the people there should stay away!

    • You are spot on with this comment, and I hope you take the advice of Armando and try to send your thoughts to as many outlets as possible. Change will not happen if the company is allowed to take advantage of its visitors without having any accountability when tensions bubble over on their property. The changes are not benefitting the customer and just when you think it can’t get worse they change something that will cost us either more time or more money. The comments here are mostly bantering back and forth about which family is in the wrong, but let’s look at this from another angle and recognize that the incident happened inside the park so the company should at least want to do their part to see what can be done differently to ease the agitation of families who are simply trying to find the time to see as many attractions they can after spending thousands of dollars. Lets hope that with some changes we can all go back to a better park experience. Hopefully back to the free fast pass system and free extra magic hours in morning/evenings that gave us the all some extra time to slow down and enjoy the parks with our families and friends, the way it should be.

  25. Although I have not used Genie, yet I have experienced the rush to Galaxy’s Edge, which I thought was silly. I didn’t get mad at anyone else and did not let it reck my day. I think that if people cannot control their anger, they should not go to anywhere public at all. It’s all in the upbringing. Please people, control yourselves and just be a little more patient. Yes, if you start a fight or a brawl you should be banded, maybe not for life but maybe have to go to anger management. For heaven’s sake let’s teach our children how to love not to hate, or we will never make it.

  26. What gets me is that the family with the matching shirts. Where wearing a shirt that was celebrating a 6 year olds birthday. So what are you teaching your children.

  27. Disney is not to blame for this. One person needed to get back in line with their family. Sheesh, let the person through. We don’t live in a country where we assume people are guilty until proven innocent. And you don’t have the right to put your hands on someone. End of that story. Yes, it’s a dumb idea to leave and come back, and it’s rude to cut back in line. But if you think someone is cutting the line go tell a crew member. And the racist comments certainly don’t help the victim or their families case, but racism isn’t illegal. Assault is. Keep your hands to yourself.

  28. I think this is disgusting but this happened at PHILHARMAGIC??!!! SERIOUSLY?!!
    It would ALMOST be understandable if it was FLIGHT OF PASSAGE or RISE OF THE RESISTANCE. Maybe even Splash Mtn or Big Thunder Mtn but frickin PhilharMagic, man! Along with being banned & arrested please reward them all with DARWIN AWARDS please!

  29. We have been to Disney World over 20 times since 1986 and this last vacation was the worst everything about the time at Disney was terrible. We stayed at the Contemporary and the only good thing about the vacation was the room you pay so much and get so little(Nothing). The food was terrible getting into the park early was a waste of time there was nothing open not even a water cart to purchase water. We have decided as a family to go to Universal next year our family vacations to Disney are over as it is hard for me to say. There was 14 of us who went on this vacation and everyone agreed it was the worst vacation that we ever experienced.

  30. Disney has to take some accountability on this one and realize that they are adding stress on families who are trying to see and do as much as they can in a short window. Go back to the original fast pass system and extra magic hours, it worked successfully for years. No excuse for this type of behavior, but I’m sure when the family excitedly headed out for the day, in their matching shirts and Mickey ears, they did not expect their day to end this way. The new genie+ has made the attraction wait times intolerable and even the most mild mannered are being put to the test. Sadly, most families will not continue to be taken advantage of and will retaliate by finding other vacation destinations.

  31. This is an example of Disney letting in too many people to be able to properly monitor and control the crowd. Safety for all guests is first priority until it hits on profitability. Everyone knows Disney would be safer if they enforced lower crowd levels and everyone knows Disney will be working as hard as they can to pack more and more people into the parks.

  32. It is actually Disney’s fault. If they make people wait in line like back in the day, this would be avoided. The lines would move better too and people wouldnt feel so privileged.

  33. @Rio64 kudos for the common sense post, too bad the actual corporation that it needs to be directed to will never read it. Its unfortunate cause you made solid points, always been a cash grab, Disney could give 2 u know whats as long as they make money. You outta copy/post it and @disney on Twitter or better yet send direct to Disney corporate offices.

  34. People reading this article need to remember it is also incredibly hot in Orlando right now. The heat index is well over 100. Combined with the crowds, tempers are short. That does not excuse this Behavior but it does help explain it. Both groups behaved badly and did not set a good example for the children. Disney staff also seemed slow to respond. Not a good sign. They are woefully understaffed and trying to get by on a shoestring budget while maximizing profits through Genie Plus. Personally I think the whole system is on the verge of total collapse over the next year. It would not surprise me to see attendance drop to pandemic levels this time next year without an actual pandemic. Disney has given itself a bad reputation.

    • Agreed! And from first hand experience I’m going to fill you in on something that may be contributing to the lack of cast members.. my child applied, and was accepted into the Disney College Program in February of this year. After acceptance, but before you are able to even see the available dates they make you pay a $450 deposit, yes, just to SEE the dates that are available! We continuously emailed (contact phone numbers are no longer available) and were continuously told that this is the way they are now doing it. So, with much hesitation, and not wanting to ruin something she had her heart set on doing for years, I put my credit card in. When the dates came up most were already taken. Please keep in mind that these are college students and were offered end dates that wouldn’t allow them to leave the job until January when their second semester had already started. She would already be missing one semester, but then would have had to take off the following semester due to a couple week overlap. We were appalled that they offered dates that they know could not possibly work for college students when it is labeled as a college program. It completely explained why they wouldn’t show the dates until they locked in the payment. We Immediately emailed to notify them that the available dates would not work and requested a refund. We were told NO REFUNDS would be given under any circumstances. The $450 deposit included $180 for housing and they would not even return that portion. The way this was handled by them was very scary to me and not at all Disney like. In the end, I got schooled by Disney and learned that they are not the company they once were. I just want this post to serve as yet another way that company greed is having a ripple affect and perhaps could be a contributing factor for the lack of cast members available to help while this terrible fight incident was happening.

  35. If you’re going to Disney you really have to mentally prepare for the crowds, rude people and possible pushing and unfairness. If you can’t let it go you’ll be out there fighting and banned for life. Was it even worth it?! First of all wear a Fanny pack so you don’t leave your stuff around, say excuse me when you go around people and if there are some heated words don’t let it get physical , walk away! And lastly don’t let your true colors slip out. Disney may have forgiven the arguing but the fighting and spewing of racial slurs is their limit. Be an adult , control yourself and pray before you go! Get it together people go to six flags for all that messiness

  36. We visited Disney 25 yrs ago. I felt it was a safe environment and it was a magical experience. I don’t believe I can say that today. We have replaced civility, and empathy with narcissism,and entitlement were every perceived slight is a call to arms. And then I here, my vacation was ruined, from these people. What about the people who had to witness this behavior, who’s children had the magic of Disney taken. Others who probably saved and sacrificed to be there had their maybe once in a lifetime experience ruined by people who could not act civil for one day. I understand the frustration with what Disney has done with lines and complicated reservations and… But in the end the magic of Disney that belongs to children of all ages was ruined. There will always be those who but in line,who disrespect others, but is a fist fight how we teach our children how to settle these small problems in life. And loosing your expensive vacation might sound excessive,but so is a four star beat down for being pushed in line.

  37. This is confusing. The way it’s written, it sounds like the matching shirt family pushed the other family, then waited to confront them again after, and the matching shirt family was arrested. And it seems to say or imply that the family that was pushed, has been banned. What? Since when does a family get pushed by someone else, and then banned by Disney? Is something missing?

    • Exactly. And furthermore, where is the compassion, people????
      The lady went to retrieve her phone, big deal! Let the precious soul back in, not start a war over a forgotten object. Good Grief!

  38. Unbelievable to think adults acting this way at Disney of all places childern heard in the background screaming the chaos of others trying to stop the brawl, I hope they ALL are band from Disney World and everything associated with Disney World

  39. Scenes like this make it utterly clear the world is ending. Staggering heat, climate change, rampaging pandemic viruses, racism, and human aggression inside one of the most overpriced and commercialized experiences imaginable (aka “Disneyland”).

    No magic, just mirage and misery.

  40. I think everyone involved in fighting at any time in Disney should be banned permanently. If people can’t control themselves then they should not be there. They are ruining it for many Families who are there! Disney has always been a “safe” place but people like this are ruining it! Totally TACKY!!!!!!

  41. They all fought. They should all be banned! I don’t understand why they had to fight. Just not worth it to me. It was only 1 person that wanted/needed through… not a group, geez!
    However, I had a guy get upset when I let his family in front of us go because there were a heck of a lot of people all going, so I asked “are you all together”? I WAS BEING NICE & certainly didn’t have to be, jerk. He huffed but for some reason couldn’t say thanks for me letting them go before us. Wow… just wow… People just piss me off sometimes but I am good at holding my tongue thankfully… And really, in the scheme of things, what did it hurt or gain?

Comments are closed.