Magic Mountain Beefs Up Security in Effort to Avert Repeat of Gang Violence

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia announced Monday it has implemented stringent new security measures in response to last month’s gang violence, which resulted in six stabbings and 21 arrests.

Scott Piazza, spokesman for the amusement park, said that increased security forces will concentrate on identifying and turning away gang members.

“We found we’re not immune to it (gang activity),” Piazza said, “and we’re taking strict steps to combat it before it spreads, to nip it in the bud.”

The park already hires off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and members of Operation Safe Streets, a gang task force, to provide park security, Piazza said. Under the new program, deputies and task force members will step up their park patrols and intensify the screening of customers.

Cost Not Yet Known

Piazza declined to say how many guards have been added. And he said the park did not yet know the cost of implementing the new measures.

To identify potential gang members, security guards will scrutinize the size of groups and clothing styles and look for telltale gang insignias, Piazza said. He refused to say exactly what the guards would be watching for, fearing that gang members would disguise themselves in response. He said, however, that gangs sometimes identify themselves by the colors they wear.

Park authorities have also asked police task forces to spread the word that “gang activity at Magic Mountain will not be permitted.”

Other security measures include installing additional lighting and strengthening the fence around the 260-acre facility. Security personnel in vehicles with guard dogs have begun patrolling the park’s perimeter to deter trespassers.