PORTLAND, Ore. — Staff at Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood felt it necessary to shut down on Friday after fights broke out, a spokesperson has confirmed.
The amusement park closed down an hour early and staff canceled the evening open skate session due to what it described in a statement as "unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of patrons."
Portland police said that officers were dispatched to Oaks Park around 5:45 p.m. for reports of a disturbance. A security officer at the park originally reported that someone may have had a knife, but officers did not see one.
When security arrived at the scene, six juveniles involved in a fight scattered, Portland police said — but a security guard reported hearing one boy on the phone telling someone to "come shoot up the park."
Officers got in contact with the boy who allegedly made the statement, but he claimed that he was only on the phone asking for a ride. He blamed someone from another group for the statement about shooting up the park.
Portland police didn't make any arrests, but the juvenile boy they talked to was trespassed from the park at security's request. At that time, park security decided to shut down for the rest of the night.
An Oaks Park spokesperson said that the behavior on display Friday "did not align with the Oaks Park mission" and was not the experience they wanted customers to have.
"Customer and staff safety is always our top priority at Oaks Park," said Emily MacKay with Oaks Park. "Unlawful behavior is not tolerated on our property and we have measures in place to deal with individuals who choose not to respect our staff or their fellow park guests.
"Those protocols were followed yesterday when an incident involving several patrons became a cause of safety concern for park management. We appreciate the outstanding response from yesterday's park visitors who quickly and courteously followed our directions and vacated the park without further incident. We look forward to many more days of family fun with our friends and neighbors."
The park reopened on Saturday, and MacKay said that things had been running smoothly again with people returning to the midway and in the roller rink.
Oaks Park has different hours depending on the day, but the amusement park opened on Friday at noon and was supposed to close at 7 p.m. Open skates were scheduled to happen from 1 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 10:30 p.m. The park reopened Saturday at 11 a.m.
