Six Flags Over Georgia brawl: Cobb County leaders address safety concerns
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Cobb County officials gathered Tuesday to address safety concerns around Six Flags Over Georgia after a series of fights and the shooting of a teen by a police officer during the park's opening day.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens, the Cobb County sheriff and police chief, the general manager of Six Flags Over Georgia, and other officials held a closed-door meeting Tuesday afternoon to address the need for increased public safety and propose solutions followed by a press conference.
Officials say the opening day of the popular theme park turned into a series of brawls within and outside Six Flags that escalated into a shooting.
Video shared with FOX 5 shows teens running through the park, a group of males kicking one person on the ground and a helicopter flying overhead.
According to the GBI, there were estimated to be 500 to 600 people at the park on the evening of Saturday, March 2, running and fighting. Cobb County police led the crowd out of the park onto South Service Road when multiple people began shooting, hitting an unoccupied CCPD patrol car.
According to investigators, officers began chasing the suspected shooters into the woods. During the chase, an officer fired his weapon, hitting 15-year-old College Park resident Syere Littlefield.
The Cobb County Police Department says Littlefield has been charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm under 18 and interference with government property.
After the violence, residents told FOX 5 that they saw social media posts suggesting that some kids knew something was going to happen at the theme park.
"[Point of view]: you live in Atlanta and you already know what finna go down March second at Six Flags," a title on the video said, along with a laughing emoji.
Cobb County Police confirmed they received several tips from people who saw the message on social media, adding they were actively investigating the posts.
Six Flags Over Georgia issues statement
Six Flags Over Georgia issued a statement responding to the fights and the shooting saying, in part:
"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."
They emphasized that the shooting took place on South Service Road, which is not owned or operated by Six Flags.
The theme park's opening weekend in 2023 was also marred by a string of fights inside the park. A large group of teens also had to be removed from the park last year during opening weekend.
Theme parks implement policies for teens
In recent years, many theme parks across the United States have implemented policies revolving around teenagers to avoid fights and guarantee the safety of their guests.
For example, some parks don't allow guests who are under the age of 15 without a chaperone who is at least 21 years old. Those parks include Kings Island in Ohio, Great America in California, Carowinds in Charlotte, Worlds of Fun in Kansas City and Knott's Berry Farm in California.
Other parks "strongly recommend" that minors under 18 be accompanied by an adult. Those include Cedar Point in Cleveland and Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon. Both Disneyland and DisneyWorld require guests under 14 to be accompanied by another guest who is 14 and older.
Six Flags Over Georgia does not appear to have any policies related to chaperones.