Magic Mountain Tries to Buttress Its Safety Image

On many Saturday nights, more teenagers gather at Six Flags Magic Mountain, perhaps, than any other location in Los Angeles County.

Drawn by a dizzying array of high-speed rides that have earned Magic Mountain a reputation as one of the nation’s most thrilling amusement parks, teens made up a large segment of the more than 3 million visitors who passed through Magic Mountain’s gates last year.

Although the vast majority of those teenagers are content to enjoy the rides and have some fun with their friends, the actions of a few troublemakers have prompted some guests to question whether the park is safe.

Last Saturday, more than 60 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and a Sheriff’s Department helicopter were deployed after reports of widespread fighting and possible gunfire in the park.

Park officials downplayed the disturbance, and the Sheriff’s Department later acknowledged that its response was out of proportion to an incident officials say turned out to be relatively minor. Still, nine people were arrested on various charges, and witnesses said that groups of marauding youths made them fear for their safety.

“In the morning, everything was fine,” said one leader of a church youth group that was visiting the park May 30. “But by the early afternoon, the kids started getting nervous. By 5 p.m., they wouldn’t leave our sides.”

Saturday’s ruckus followed the April 8 slaying of a 15-year-old Fontana boy in Magic Mountain’s parking lot. Daniel Vega was killed and two others injured when a suspected gang member fired into a crowd shortly after the park had closed. On Thursday, 18-year-old Antwan Robinson of Los Angeles was arrested by homicide investigators on suspicion of murder in the case.

Magic Mountain officials insist that the shooting was an aberration and that the park is safe for teenagers and families. And indeed, its security apparatus gets high marks from Lt. Carl Deeley of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.

Deeley said security has improved markedly since 1993, when an unruly mob spilled out of the park, causing injuries and damaging nearby businesses.

“They have gone the extra mile to make changes,” Deeley said. “I think Magic Mountain, out of all the amusement parks that I have dealt with, has by far the best security operation.”

Although he declined to disclose specific numbers, park spokesman Andy Gallardo said Magic Mountain has doubled its security force since 1993. In addition to security guards, eight off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers patrol the park daily, Gallardo said, and Magic Mountain pays for two sheriff’s cars to patrol the parking lot on weekends.

The park has also erected guard towers in the parking lot and increased its use of closed-circuit television to spot potential trouble.

“We have zero tolerance for misbehavior,” Gallardo said. “People know that we will not only turn you away but we will throw you out of the park if you cause trouble.”

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An estimated 37,000 guests made May 30 the busiest of day of the year so far for Magic Mountain.

Deeley said his office received calls throughout the day from Magic Mountain officials and park guests about fights breaking out. When reports of possible gunfire came in at 8 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department decided to mobilize.

In the largest show of force since the 1993 incident, more than 60 deputies from as far away as Crescenta Valley and Lancaster converged at a command post near the park. About a dozen of the deputies took up posts in the parking lot, but none entered the park, Deeley said.

“We also kind of learned our lesson in 1993,” Deeley said. “It’s better to go overboard in the beginning. We can always de-escalate from there.”

Authorities said they found no evidence that shots had been fired, and no serious injuries were reported in the incident.

Contrary to Gallardo’s assertion that “nothing really went on” Saturday, however, members of the church youth group, from Manteca, said they saw teenagers running in packs, picking fights and smoking marijuana. It was enough to convince them not to come back.

Members of the church group said that after they complained about the disturbances, Magic Mountain agreed to provide a refund of $1,600 to cover not only the money they spent in the park but also transportation and hotel costs.

“The thing that scared our kids the most was the stampeding,” said the leader, who asked not to be identified. “They just didn’t want to get trampled.”

Gallardo said he could not comment on any specific case but that “like any good company, if a guest is unhappy with their experience at the park we will look into the situation and make the appropriate compensation.”

Although Magic Mountain has had its share of problems, it is certainly not alone. Other area theme parks, including Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knott’s Berry Farm, have also had to deal with fights and rampaging youths.

“I would not say that Magic Mountain has a reputation for violence or problems that’s worse than any other park in the nation,” said Tim O’Brien, an editor for Amusement Business magazine. “When you put 3 million people through every year, you’re always going to have troublemakers. It’s tough to weed them out.”

“We’re not immune to the problems that are facing society. These things are happening in malls and schools across the country,” Gallardo said. “It’s just unfortunate that the rowdy behavior of a few individuals can ruin the day for the whole group.”

Times staff writer Amy Oakes contributed to this story.