4
Credit: DisneyTwo men were arrested at Walt Disney World Resort after an expletive-filled rampage at EPCOT.
Disney World may be the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” but that doesn’t mean its guests always behave in a magical manner. We’ve seen a string of violent incidents at Disney’s Orlando parks over the years, including a man who allegedly punched a woman in the face at Magic Kingdom’s outdoor dining area following an argument.
That same year, a man from Pensacola was charged with aggravated battery after punching two Disney cast members at EPCOT and attacking a third with a plastic pipe while intoxicated.
Although EPCOT is Disney’s most educationally driven theme park, it has also become the backdrop for some of Disney World’s most violent incidents.
You can secure alcohol at multiple spots across Disney property, but it’s the resort’s second-oldest park that has the most drinking-oriented culture (Drinking Around the World, anyone?), to the point that jokingly dubbing its patrons “alcoholics” has become a frequent (but annoying) joke during the queue narration of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Two Men Arrested at EPCOT
Back in November, another incident occurred at the theme park.
According to Orange County Sheriff’s records, two 25-year-olds – Matanel Adda, of Fort Lauderdale, and Dominic Ciero, of Plantation – were arrested after hurling verbal abuse, dubbing Disney cast members “pigs,” “wh***s,” “c**ts,” and “b**ches.”
As per the report, a group of young people were arguing with a female guest in the France pavilion who used a wheelchair. One guest, Adda, subsequently attempted to fight the woman in the wheelchair as he felt “disrespected.”
“The altercation continued all the way to the Land Pavilion where one of the white males in the young adult group approached the handicapped woman in a wheelchair and began a verbal tirade directed at her in front of hundreds of guests,” the report said. “Once Disney security was made aware of the situation once again they intervened and contacted law enforcement.”
A Disney security manager went on to politely ask the woman in the wheelchair to exit the park for the day, which she did without incident. However, after approaching the group of young men, “Dominic [Ciero] became extremely irate and verbally abusive towards Chelsea.” Security managers proceeded to walk Ciero, Adda, and the rest of their group out of EPCOT – but they didn’t go quietly.
“Ciero began filming and getting in the faces of the Disney managers,” the report said. “He began to cuss and while stumbling over into their personal space screaming ‘F–k Off!’ Your [sic] pigs, w***es, c**ts, and bi***es.'” At one point, he moved in towards security manager Barbara Soamano and called her a racial slur in Italian.
“Barbara asked him to back up in which he refused and continued to scream in her face. Deputies had to get involved and told Dominic to back up once again. While exiting the park, Dominic came into Chelsea’s personal space, inches from her face, and told her to ‘F–k off’ in front of several guests and small children.”
Those who witnessed the incident were reportedly “frightened by his aggressive and erratic behavior.” The report added that Ciero – who was trespassed from Walt Disney World Resort and asked never to return – was intoxicated.
“Once we exited the park and reached the entrance, Dominic was handcuffed,” the report stated. Deputy Kyle Moon wrote that Matanel interfered with the arrest, aggressively approaching from behind and causing a disturbance. Despite several orders to back away, Matanel refused to comply, staying within 25 feet with the intent to obstruct the arrest.
“I’m not backing up, I don’t give a s–t! I’m giving you enough space!” Adda yelled at the deputies, as noted in his arrest report. Adda faced two misdemeanor charges: resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication. He pleaded not guilty, with a trial set for May, although he’s pending approval for a pretrial diversion program. Ciero, also charged with disorderly intoxication, pleaded not guilty and has been referred to pretrial diversion.
More Incidents at EPCOT
Beyond this arrest in November, other recent incidents at EPCOT include a woman who tried to open a door leading to an off-stage area on the EPCOT Monorail platform and later struck a medic in the face, as well as wandering through World Showcase after the park closed.
When Orange County Sheriff Deputy James Waters attempted to trespass her from the property, she “began yelling and pulling away to avoid being handcuffed, ignoring [his] commands” and went on to bite his hand.
In a much more bizarre turn of events, another recent incident saw a guest seemingly defecate in the line for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Two similar cases have since occurred at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where, oddly enough, they once again happened in line for a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction.