O.C. prosecutors reviewing video of family brawl at Disneyland for possible charges
Orange County prosecutors are reviewing video of a violent brawl that broke out among family members at Disneyland over the weekend to determine whether criminal charges should be filed, authorities said Wednesday.
Anaheim police presented their case to the Orange County district attorney’s office Tuesday. If county prosecutors decide to file felony charges, they also will take on any associated misdemeanor counts that could be lodged in the case, said Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the office.
“Police believe there is the possibility of felony conduct,” Edds said.
Authorities have not specified what charges they have recommended but noted in a tweet about the case Wednesday that victims of domestic violence should seek help and referred them to a foundation for abuse survivors.
If prosecutors decide not to file felony charges, the case will be referred to the Anaheim city attorney, who could pursue misdemeanor charges, Edds said. Typically, the city attorney prosecutes misdemeanor and infraction crimes that occur in Anaheim.
What began as an argument between a man and a woman in front of Goofy’s Playhouse in Toontown escalated to a nearly five-minute brawl Saturday that was captured on video. The clip, which was posted to YouTube a day later, has racked up more than 3 million views.
Warning: Video content and language are graphic.
In the video, a man wearing a red shirt is seen taking a swing at a woman who had spat in his face, authorities said.
Another man steps in and the two men start throwing punches at each other. At one point, the man in the red shirt punches another woman and drags her by the hair, the video shows.
Children are heard crying in the background as the adults scuffle. Horrified parkgoers ushered children past the brawl, while others gathered around to watch. A handful of bystanders — including a member of Disney’s cleaning crew and a football coach from Texas — tried to separate the fighters.
When police were called to the park, the family involved denied anything had occurred and no arrests were made, but that was before video was available, Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.
Authorities launched an investigation after the video of the fight surfaced on social media Sunday.
Twitter: @Hannahnfry
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