Chaos Erupts At Busch Gardens As A Violent Brawl Breaks Out In Line

Visitors at Busch Gardens Williamsburg witnessed a violent altercation among parkgoers while in line for one of its rides. Bystanders captured footage of the intense brawl, which quickly went viral on social media.

Police are investigating the physical altercation that occurred between two groups of people while in line for the Pantheon.

Video footage of the fight quickly made its rounds on social media, which shows an older gentleman wearing a fanny pack and khaki shorts getting beaten up by at least three other individuals.

The clip begins by showing the older gentleman trying to protect his head as he attempts to get away from the other men, who are clearly much younger than the victim. At one point, the older gentleman frees himself while bystanders try to block the path, so the group of men cannot continue to attack.

However, one of the individuals jumps over the railing and begins to punch the older man in the head multiple times. The bystanders could not hold the rest of the group back, and they came back in, swinging and punching the man in the back of the head as he tried to duck and protect himself the best he could.

In another clip, you can see kids running around and screaming, unsure of what to do, while other onlookers watched from afar.

According to 10 On Your Side, the incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. when the James City County Police Department responded to a physical altercation between two groups of people in line for the Pantheon. Authorities have identified multiple suspects; however, no charges have been filed, and no arrests have been made. Those who sustained injuries received medical attention from the medical staff at Busch Gardens. The altercation is currently under investigation.

Social media reacted to the incident as the video made its rounds on X. "What is wrong with people? I’ve been to Busch Gardens numerous times. Never did I even remotely think 'Great time to get in a fight around all these kids,' " one user said.

"You can hear a scared child crying behind the camera and a woman saying, 'Help us,' but no one helps. Is anywhere safe anymore?" another questioned.

"My family lives near Busch Gardens & go there regularly," a local stated. "The older guy probably said something that the younger guy viewed as disrespectful, but it saddens me that the first response nowadays is to fight or even worse."

This fight comes three years after an altercation broke out between three women, one of whom was found guilty of malicious wounding, as well as assault and battery, and was sentenced to 24 months. 19 of those months were suspended.

According to 10 On Your Side, police said all three suspects fled before officers arrived. One of the victims had severe swelling and a laceration near her eye and was taken to the hospital.

Plus, on September 11, 2021, James City County police responded to an incident near Apollo’s Chariot coaster. The suspects and victims all fled the scene before officers arrived, but video footage captured by a bystander showed many people were involved in the fight.

“One person pushed another, and both groups ended up scuffling,” John Blythe, the bystander who captured the fight on video, told 10 On Your Side. “It looked like they were arguing about something, and they ended up getting into the scuffle… There seemed to be one person trying to move the people away trying to not have a fight break out."

A spokesperson issued a statement at the time to address the viral incident.

“At Busch Gardens we have an unwavering commitment to deliver safe experiences for our guests and employees," the theme park stated. "Every decision regarding security policies and procedures, including our new bag policy, is made with that goal in mind. In addition, the decision to increase the presence and visibility of security during Howl-O-Scream underscores that priority.”