Police Called to Chaotic Scene at Mempis Putt-Putt Center After Parents Drop off 300 Kids
A putt-putt golf course in Memphis, Tennesee, became a chaotic scene Sunday night after an [...]
A putt-putt golf course in Memphis, Tennesee, became a chaotic scene Sunday night after an estimated 300-400 kids were dropped off en masse. The sheer volume of people overwhelmed the business itself, while the simple fact that it happened was in violation of local ordinances put into place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Once the few hundred kids arrived, the police were called to the Putt-Putt Fun Center to try and manage the situation, according to Fox 13, which was made more difficult after some started pulling plants out of nearby pots and throwing them at cars and someone throwing fireworks into the crowd, causing even more uproar. That continued when Putt-Putt Fun Center informed everyone that they were closed and not issuing refunds. As Fox 13 reporter Winnie Wright noted, it took roughly two hours before everyone was cleared out.
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 individual who called the cops said that some members of the crowd ended up breaking the Plexiglass barriers in between the customers and employees and napkin dispensers as well as threw cash registers. The staff cleaned all the debris as officers worked to clear the parking lot. One of the crowd, a teenager, was issued a juvenile summons for disorderly conduct.
This isn't the first time that Tennessee has drawn national attention for unseemly crowd behavior in the middle of a pandemic, especially as cases continue to rise across much of the U.S. At the end of June, country singer Chase Rice held a concert in the state, which drew widespread criticism as photos and videos started surfacing that revealed a lack of face masks and social distancing in the crowd.
Elsewhere in the state, Graceland has announced that it will be reopening for in-person events starting in August, to celebrate the anniversary of his death back in 1977. The notorious home to Elvis Presley had closed in March, along with countless other businesses. While Graceland has promised it will move forward with what's known as Elvis Week, it did note that all events had been "significantly modified" for the safety of guests and staff.