A Tennessee mini-golf center was the scene of absolute mayhem on Saturday, after a reported 300 to 400 teenagers began destroying the establishment because management reportedly refused to issue refunds for machines that stopped working.
According to local outlets, parents had dropped off large groups of teens at the family play place without supervision, clearly violating coronavirus orders banning mass gatherings.
Issues began at Golf and Games Family Park in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday evening when some machines began eating up the kids money. The staff at the center was unable to offer refunds at the time, thus prompting all-out chaos, FOX 8 reported.
According to video shot at the center, teenagers, none of whom appear to be wearing masks, begin knocking items off counters and throwing items behind the counter. One of the girls involved is seen pulling the plastic screen, which is used as part of COVID-19 safety policy updates, from the counter and throwing it at staff.
In the same video, she picks up a metal stand and throws it. She also later spit on an employee, witnesses claimed.
Parents dropped off 300-400 kids at Putt Putt on Summer last night, according to MPD, breaking #COVIDー19 rules.
A witness tells me the girl seen here was there abt 2 hours before mgmt made everyone clear out. She reacted like this, he says, when they wouldn’t give her a refund. pic.twitter.com/Tdo7dkFu6l
— Winnie Wright (@WinnieWrightTV) July 26, 2020
The police were called to the scene. Some of the kids were even setting off fireworks inside of the establishment, causing damage to the building.
The police are trying to identify all the children who caused damage to the facility. The fun park has also placed a ban on children entering their facility unless supervised by a parent.
The general manager, Aaron Boss, issued a statement on the company’s Facebook page, calling the incident something he has “never experienced” before in the 57 years of its operations.
“Unfortunately, yesterday evening we had an incident that we have never experienced in 57 years of business,” he wrote. “Parents chose to leave large groups of teenagers at our facility without their supervision. Some of those people chose to create a disturbance the likes of which we have never seen. We are very thankful that none of our Golf and Games family or customers were injured during this situation. We are actively trying to identify those involved and hold them accountable for their actions. Going forward, any minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Anyone that is left unattended will be asked to leave. We have been the Memphis area’s locally owned place for family entertainment for nearly six decades. We will always welcome those who choose to share their family experiences with us. Please understand this is not a reflection of us or our park. We look forward to serving you soon.”