A Tennessee mini-golf center was severely damaged after hundreds of teenagers started destroying the establishment because they did not issue refunds.
Staff at the Putt-Putt Fun Center in Memphis, Tenn., experienced a chaotic day at work on Saturday when a large group of kids and teenagers crowded the business and a few became physically violent.
According to a police report, the company said parents just dropped off their children and left 300 to 400 teenagers at the center, causing the business to be in violation of COVID-19 social distancing rules, FOX8 reported.
The business then said it would close down due to overcrowding. Employees said they would not issue a refund, after which the teens began ransacking the establishment.
Videos of the incident were uploaded on social media, allegedly showing the teenagers damaging property. The video mostly focuses on an African American girl who is seen tearing apart a plexiglass divider and throwing objects over the counter.
Reporter Winnie Wright tweeted:
“Parents dropped off 300 to 400 kids at Putt Putt on Summer last night, according to Memphis Police Department, breaking COVID-19 rules. A witness tells me the girl seen here was there about two hours before management made everyone clear out. She reacted like this, he said, when they wouldn’t give her a refund.”
Parents dropped off 300-400 kids at Putt Putt on Summer last night, according to MPD, breaking #COVIDー19 rules.
A witness tells me the girl seen here was there abt 2 hours before mgmt made everyone clear out. She reacted like this, he says, when they wouldn’t give her a refund. pic.twitter.com/Tdo7dkFu6l
— Winnie Wright (@WinnieWrightTV) July 26, 2020
The center said that all minors have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian from now on.
“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,” a statement from the center read. “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.”
According to AWM:
Although the management of the facility mishandled the situation, the teens’ behavior took a turn for the worst when they started engaging in mob mentality. Before long, the teenagers started knocking items off shelves, throwing objects at the employees, and even spitting at a worker in one instance.
Then, one teenager exploded fireworks inside of a building, which caused extensive damage to the property.