BUENA PARK (CNS) – Buena Park police have issued a warning about potential teen takeover activity targeting Knott’s Berry Farm as early as Saturday.
“We are aware of an unsanctioned event being planned at Knott’s Berry Farm,” department officials noted on social media. “We have worked with park officials and our public safety partners to identify those responsible for organizing this unauthorized gathering.
“The safety of our community, park guests, and employees remains our highest priority. We will have an increased law enforcement presence and will take appropriate enforcement action against anyone who engages in criminal or disruptive behavior.”
No details were available about the potential gathering, but the warning comes amid a similar notice about a possible “beach takeover” in Huntington Beach Saturday and one week after more than 400 mostly teens were arrested after youths swarmed Newport Beach.
Theme park takeovers have occurred in several cities nationwide this year, including 130-year-old Kennywood near Pittsburgh; Hersheypark in Hershey, Penn; ICON Park in Orlando; and an opening day brawl in April at Six Flags St. Louis.
Police in Milwaukee reported responding to 12 separate teen takeovers in a single weekend, with similar activity also reported at theme parks in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Tampa and Chicago, according to the Inside the Magic website for Disney fans. NBC Nightly News devoted a May 26 segment to the phenomenon where some sources suggested it may be time for parents to face criminal charges when their children participate in takeover activity.
“The structural realities of modern theme parks make them uniquely vulnerable to the teen takeover playbook,” the website noted. “Moving forward, the battle against teen takeovers will be won or lost in the digital space. Law enforcement agencies across Florida and the Midwest have established dedicated cyber-monitoring units tasked with actively scraping TikTok, Instagram, and Discord for keywords related to local meetups.”
Knott’s Berry Farm has experienced earlier instances of “unruly and inappropriate behavior.”
In 2023, the park implemented a policy requiring youths 15 and younger “to be accompanied in the park by an adult who’s at least 21 in order to enter or stay at Knott’s Berry Farm after 4 p.m. Anyone 15 or younger who is found in the park without a chaperone will be thrown out.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles area law enforcement has also stepped up patrols at teen hotspots with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warning about potential gatherings in Lakewood and the Los Angeles Police Department pledging “zero tolerance” for illegal activities at Dockweiler State Beach.
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