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By Nicholas McEntyre
Published March 3, 2024, 12:47 a.m. ET
One person was shot during a gunfight with police outside of Six Flags Over Georgia, just after an “unruly” crowd of people sparked a massive brawl during the park’s opening day on Saturday.
Cobb County Police responded to the amusement park just outside of Atlanta around 6 p.m. — two hours before the park closed — to help deal with a crowd fighting and causing problems inside the gates.
“A sizeable unruly crowd” of approximately 500 to 600 guests were “running through the park and fighting,” the Cobb County Police said in a statement to WSB-TV.
Social media footage obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta captured nearly a dozen people kicking and punching a person on the ground before several ran away, leaving the beaten-up individual lying motionless.
An unknown number of suspects fired shots at police as security pushed the crowd out of the park.
The officers reportedly fired back, striking one person.
The individual, whose condition is not known, was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Downtown Atlanta, approximately 11 miles east of the shooting.
The park confirmed the shooting but said it did not occur on Six Flags property.
“There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot,” the statement obtained by the outlet read. “This took place on South Service Road that is not owned or operated by Six Flags.”
“However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here.”
The park blasted the “underaged youth” behavior and how it disrupts community events.
“It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth. Just like other venues in the area, we are committed to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property.”
“Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state of the art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park. Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome.
Six Flags Over Georgia opened its doors for the 57th season on Saturday at 11 a.m.
A parkgoer who was in line for the opening disputed part of the park’s claim of security, saying they entered the park without being searched.
“My bag wasn’t even checked, we were simply told to go through to the entrance,” Liam Thompson told FOX 5 Atlanta.
It was not immediately clear if any arrests were made in connection to the shooting or the large crowds inside the park.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation of the shooting.
By Nicholas McEntyre
Published March 3, 2024, 12:47 a.m. ET
One person was shot during a gunfight with police outside of Six Flags Over Georgia, just after an “unruly” crowd of people sparked a massive brawl during the park’s opening day on Saturday.
Cobb County Police responded to the amusement park just outside of Atlanta around 6 p.m. — two hours before the park closed — to help deal with a crowd fighting and causing problems inside the gates.
“A sizeable unruly crowd” of approximately 500 to 600 guests were “running through the park and fighting,” the Cobb County Police said in a statement to WSB-TV.
Social media footage obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta captured nearly a dozen people kicking and punching a person on the ground before several ran away, leaving the beaten-up individual lying motionless.
An unknown number of suspects fired shots at police as security pushed the crowd out of the park.
The officers reportedly fired back, striking one person.
The individual, whose condition is not known, was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Downtown Atlanta, approximately 11 miles east of the shooting.
The park confirmed the shooting but said it did not occur on Six Flags property.
“There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot,” the statement obtained by the outlet read. “This took place on South Service Road that is not owned or operated by Six Flags.”
“However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here.”
The park blasted the “underaged youth” behavior and how it disrupts community events.
“It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth. Just like other venues in the area, we are committed to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property.”
“Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state of the art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park. Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome.
Six Flags Over Georgia opened its doors for the 57th season on Saturday at 11 a.m.
A parkgoer who was in line for the opening disputed part of the park’s claim of security, saying they entered the park without being searched.
“My bag wasn’t even checked, we were simply told to go through to the entrance,” Liam Thompson told FOX 5 Atlanta.
It was not immediately clear if any arrests were made in connection to the shooting or the large crowds inside the park.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation of the shooting.
