Hundreds of Teenagers Sow Chaos At Memphis Golf and Games Family Park

memphis golf and games famliy pack

Hundreds of teenagers crowded a mini golf center in Memphis this weekend, leaving flower pots smashed, the concession area in shambles and employees wondering how a putt-putt park could devolve into a ruckus involving the police, a stampede and a viral video of the chaos.

The crowd at the center, the Golf and Games Family Park, gradually grew larger over the course of Saturday, until the number of people became “pretty unsustainable,” Aaron Bos, a general manager, said.

At one point, 300 to 400 teenagers had gathered at the mini golf park, according to Lt. Karen Rudolph, a spokeswoman for the Memphis Police Department. She noted that the crowd was in violation of the city’s coronavirus restrictions.

The mini golf course at Golf and Games Family Park
Credit…Golf & Games Memphis

It was not immediately clear why so many teenagers came to the park, and the teenagers who were present could not immediately be identified. Mr. Bos said he had heard it was coordinated on social media.

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The situation deteriorated quickly after Mr. Bos spotted teenagers “jumping over the rails and hopping in cars” at the go-kart attraction, he said.

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Then fights started breaking out, he said. He decided to close the park, which only escalated the situation. Frustrated teenagers demanded refunds, Mr. Bos said, despite his offer that any credits purchased could be used at a later date.

About 50 teenagers “shoved past the manager and mobbed the concession area,” Mr. Bos said, noting that he did not see any of them wearing masks. The indoor area at the park was limited to 50 percent capacity, or around 100 people; the crowding was mostly outdoors before a group moved inside, he said.

A group of girls asked Mr. Bos for money back using an obscenity, he said. One girl hurled a plexiglass divider and a metal post over the counter at employees, in an altercation caught on a video that has been circulating widely on social media.

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Mr. Bos called the police to help manage the situation. In a statement on Monday, Lt. Rudolph said a stampede had started at the park because someone threw a firework into a crowd. A 13-year-old pulled flowers out of pots during the stampede and threw them at cars, and was issued a juvenile summons for disorderly conduct, she said.

The park has “promising leads to the identity of those involved” in throwing plexiglass and other items in the concessions area, and intends to seek charges, Mr. Bos said.

Employees barricaded themselves in a basement and one manager “armed herself with a golf club,” Mr. Bos said.

As for the other guests, Mr. Bos said they “got out of Dodge pretty quick.”

On Monday, the park outlined new rules in a post on Facebook. “Going forward, all minors must be accompanied by their parent or guardian while at Golf and Games,” it said. “Anyone that is left unattended will be asked to leave.”

Mr. Bos said he would convene a staff meeting on Tuesday to go over the new policies. He wondered if any of his staff members, who are mostly teenagers themselves, would quit or be asked to quit by their parents. “We’ll see who we have tomorrow,” he said.

SOURCE: Bryan Pietsch
VIA: THE NEW YORK TIMES