Disneyland is supposed to be the happiest place on earth. Days in the park are meant to be enjoying the best food at Disneyland or enjoying California Adventure's best attractions. It certainly wasn’t that this week for a woman and her two small children after the woman was arrested while inside Disney California Adventure. There's a wild video that has been going viral, largely due to the children crying and screaming as their mother is handcuffed.
More than one video has gone viral on TikTok showing the woman speaking with police officers, which is followed by her being led away in handcuffs. It’s far from the happy scenes we’re used to seeing at Disneyland. The crying children are especially heartbreaking, but according to the reports, the children are actually at the center of what happened here.
@xavier_hart ♬ original sound - Xavier Hart
According to KTLA, the woman was arrested by Anaheim police for failing to show identification. However, the issue began because the woman had not paid for tickets for her children, because she claimed they were both under three years old. According to Park Journey, the woman pushed her way past the turnstiles when she was questioned about her children’s ages, and this allegedly isn’t the first time this specific woman has done this.
Children under three are free at Disneyland, and it’s not exactly breaking news to state that some number of parents skirt that age limit, and likely claim that their slightly older children are actually two as a way to avoid buying an additional expensive ticket. Some parents have even gone to extreme lengths to get their kids into Disney Parks without paying. Generally speaking, Cast Members let this slide. I’ve always heard that any kid in a stroller gets a pass, but these kids are well past their stroller days.
Since Cast Members don’t want to cause a scene or delay other guests at the park entrance any more than necessary, there was no altercation at the gate. But Disneyland security and Anaheim Police, which has a substation at the resort, were called. They caught up with the woman inside the park, where she reportedly refused to give officers identification, leading to what's shown in the video.
It is a heartbreaking scene, if only because the kids, clearly have no real idea what is going on. They are terrified after their mother is handcuffed. Another viral video includes them calling for help as their mother is led out of the park.
@diz.tok ♬ original sound - diz.tok
Mom was booked, issued a citation for obstructing a police officer and refusing to provide identification, and released. It’s not clear if she was also banned from Disneyland, but that seems likely under the circumstances. Any breaking of the law inside the park usually leads to being banned.
As unfortunate as the situation looks it’s difficult to imagine how else it was going to turn out. Not paying for tickets is going to be a problem and not cooperating with police is only going to end one way. This isn't the first time somebody jumped the turnstiles at Disneyland and got arrested for the attempt. Disneyland is scheduled to receive new entrance gates later this year which may help prevent this sort of thing in the future.
