A Canadian man has been charged with battery in Florida, where he allegedly “shoulder checked” a Disney World worker who tried to stop him from getting in line for a ride that was already closed.
According to Orange County Circuit court documents obtained by National Post, the 48-year-old from Palgrave, Ont., has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree misdemeanour alleged to have occurred on the night of March 20 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park outside Orlando.
The park worker, whose name was redacted, was closing an attraction on the evening of March 20, when the man, who was already admitted, flagged her down to ask about “his family outside.”
She told him they could not enter because it was past closing and the “chains were up.”
Regardless, three of his family members allegedly jumped the chains only to be escorted out by the worker. The accused followed them out, but “a few moments later he and some of the family jumped the chains to the Lightning Lane,” where they were met by the same worker who again told them to leave and “discuss it outside.”
The arresting Orange County Sheriff’s officer wrote that the man allegedly “continued advancing and shoved (the worker) with his shoulder claiming that she was not going to stop him.”
He then allegedly “shoulder checked her a subsequent time” as she stood in front of him as he moved up the line, stopping once he reached an area with more staff and other guests.
The worker notified security and management about the incident.
After police arrived, the man “largely corroborated” the worker’s account of the incident, adding that she “put her hand on the rail to block his path as he was going forward in the line against all instruction and in doing so, he walked into her trying to pass.”
The worker told the sheriff’s officer she wanted to file charges and was willing to testify in court, at which point the accused was arrested and taken into custody.
He was later released on a $2,000 bond and allowed to return to Canada.
A pre-trial conference originally scheduled for this Friday has been postponed until June 19.
National Post has contacted the man and his lawyer for comment.
The court documents don’t indicate which specific ride he was trying to access at Animal Kingdom, Disney’s largest venue at more than 500 acres. The zoological park features nine attractions with Lightning Lanes, according to Mouse Hacking, a website dedicated to tracking deals at Disney World.
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