Credit: DisneyAn 18-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday (January 9) after trying to enter Disneyland Paris with a gun, which reports now indicate was fake.
According to French news outlet 20 Minutes, the man in question had travelled from Hauts-de-Seine to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy – the station for Disneyland Paris – on a RER train with his father.
He then tried to pass through Disney Village (the Disneyland Paris equivalent to shopping and dining areas such as Downtown Disney and Disney Springs) to reach the nearby bus station, but was apprehended by Disneyland Paris security after they found a pistol in his bag.
While initially reported as a loaded weapon, the Meux public prosecutors office has since clarified that this was an “alarm gun,” also known as a “blank bullet gun.” When fired, alarm guns make a similar noise to guns and produce smoke, but don’t fire live ammunition.
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20 Minutes claims that the young man told police he had had the gun for a long time and carried it “to defend himself in the event of an attack.”
The man was arrested on the scene but has since been released. He will be summoned before the judge again on June 24, 2024.
This isn’t the first time someone’s been arrested with weapons near Disneyland Paris. In January 2016, a 28-year-old man was arrested after trying to enter Disney Hotel New York – now known as Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel – with two handguns in his bag.
“During a routine security screening checkpoint at one of our hotels, weapons were discovered in a guest’s luggage through our X-ray machine,” François Banon, the vice president of communication and public affairs at Disneyland Paris, said at the time. “The police were immediately notified and the individual was arrested. We continue to work closely with the authorities and the safety and security of our guests and cast members is our utmost priority.”
The incident occurred two months after a series of co-ordinated jihadist terrorist attacks in Paris left 130 people dead. A police source later told the AFP news agency that the investigation didn’t suggest the two were linked, and that the man trying to enter the hotel claimed he carried the weapons as he feared for his own safety.
Have you ever witnessed a scary incident at a theme park? Let us know in the comments!