The Magic Kingdom was the site of mass panic yesterday when a perceived active shooter threat caused a stampede of people to rush through the theme park.
A photo of Main Street USA in Walt Disney World via La Reina Creole YouTube
There was no active shooter, according to the Orange County Sherriff’s Department.
“There is NO active shooter at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom,” the Sherriff’s Department said in an official statement. “A fight occurred, and a ‘popping’ sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter.”
ALERT: There is NO active shooter at @WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. A fight occurred, and a “popping” sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter. pic.twitter.com/TRKLs3NglC
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 30, 2024
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The incident took place shortly after park closing around 10 pm. A fight broke out near the monorail station followed by a loud pop many now believe to have been a balloon. Then, according to eye witness accounts, panic erupted in the theme park.
X user anxrosa detailed her experience in a post on the social media platform which included a video of the aftermath.
“Went to Magic Kingdom today and there was literally a stampede because of a suspected shooter,” she said. “I thought that was actually going to be my last day. I was shoved out of the way and fell. Mothers were crying looking for their daughters, people were hiding, it was so bad.”
went to magic kingdom today and there was literally a stampede because of a suspected shooter i thought that was actually going to be my last day. i was shoved out of the way and fell. mothers were crying looking for their daughters, people were hiding, it was so bad. pic.twitter.com/NATeMuwceK
— D (@anxrosa) August 30, 2024
In the video above, you can see the impact this panicked reaction had on The Emporium, the Magic Kingdom’s flagship merchandise location. Product is strewn about the store, chairs are toppled in Casey’s Corner, people are confused, and strollers are left abandoned in the middle of the normally highly trafficked area.
Anxrosa spoke with WDWNT later that night with a more detailed account.
“I was on my way to the exit, and I saw three men sprint past me,” she said. “Then a family after them, and then it was like dominos. suddenly I was the only one walking towards the exit, and I was getting pushed and shoved. I was terrified of falling because I thought I might get trampled. There were some screams of “shooter” but I didn’t hear any gun shots. People started diving behind anything that could hide them, parents were already shielding their kids, I ran out towards Adventureland and I started having a panic attack. Slowly, I think, when no one heard any gunshots, everyone started slowly calming down. But people were still beelining to get as far away as possible from the exit. They started directing us back into the shops, and police were patrolling the streets. We were in there for around 15 minutes, I’d say. They finally let us out and the monorail was shut down. They initially weren’t letting anyone on the buses either and just funneled us all in a line for the ferry. A lot of kids were still crying and everyone was kind of trying to figure out what happened.”
Thankfully, no one was hurt in the ensuing chaos.
Cinderella’s Castle in Walt Disney World via 4k WDW YouTube
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A Disney spokesperson released the following statement: “We appreciate the immediate response of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to quickly assess and clear the situation. Normal operations have resumed and the park is now closed for the evening.”
Considered a “soft terror target” for many years, Disney upgraded its security for both the parks and the Disney Springs shopping center back in 2020. The company now uses Evolv metal detectors to scan all guests and their belongings with seamless, contactless equipment. This was seen as a huge upgrade from what many considered to be lackluster screening measures in the past. Before 2020, Disney would manually search all guest bags and ask random guests to step out of the line to walk through a metal detector.
A photo of Main Street USA in Walt Disney World via La Reina Creole YouTube
Transportation from the Magic Kingdom after park closing can be a very crowded and volatile atmosphere, where tempers are known to flare. What do you think Disney could do to avoid a situation like this in the future? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know.
Marvin The Movie Monster Montanaro is a YouTube commentator and personality specializing in movies, TV, video games, and professional wrestling. He can be found on his channels Tooney Town TV and Tooney Town Wrestling with daily content and weekly livestreams. He can also be found on That Game Place, the That Park Place video game channel.
