MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Things were quiet Sunday at the Putt Putt Fun Center off Summer Avenue, but it was anything but quiet Saturday evening, when things quickly turned chaotic.
“You are supposed to be with family and friends, so it’s supposed to be a fun place, but you see all of these aggressive acts,” Lucas Tremmel said when he saw social media video of the incident.
In a recently filed police report, the company said parents just started dropping off their children. Suddenly, there was a crowd of 300 to 400 people, causing the business to be in violation of the COVID-19 compliance.
In a post made Monday, the company said things were okay until people started to jump the line for go karts.
“While security and other team members tried to get the que line in order, the decision was made to suspend ticket sales in an effort to be sure everyone got their appropriate number of rides,” the business said.
That was around 7 p.m., three hours before scheduled closing time.
Within several minutes, there was a “verbal confrontation” between several individuals that had to be broken up by security and staff members. That’s when the decision to close down for the night was made.
The company said they were about to start issuing refunds when a group “started screaming and yelling about their refund. To protect the staff and other guest, it was announced no refunds at this time.”
The result was caught on video.
In the video, a girl who appears to be a teenager can be seen tearing apart a plexiglass divider.She then throws the divider along with metal rope stands across a counter, where employees are standing.
The employees dodge every item coming at them.
Moments later, the young girl was seen spitting at another worker.
WREG tried reaching out to the young girl in the video to get her take of the story, but so far we have not heard back.
On Monday, the company also clarified that they are still giving refunds to those who want one.
The center’s general manager, Aaron Boss, said in the below statement that what happened is something the company has “never experienced in 57 years of business.” He said all minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian moving forward.
“Unfortunately, yesterday evening we had an incident that we have never experienced in 57 years of business. 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.”
The Putt Putt Fun Center was back open Sunday.
So far, only a 13-year-old boy was issued a juvenile summons for disorderly conduct.