GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A 17-year-old employee had to be taken to the hospital Saturday after a huge, chaotic brawl broke out at a Gaston County trampoline park.
Police said they responded just before 8:30 p.m. to reports of a large fight involving teens at the Altitude Trampoline Park on East Franklin Boulevard in Lowell.
When they got there, officers said they spotted about 400 teenagers running through the parking lot and several fights taking place. According to police, as officers began posting up at the front door of the trampoline park to control the crowd another fight broke out inside.
Employee Laurel Smith told Channel 9 she tried to break up the fight but was thrown to the ground.
“I was getting trampled by like three people on the trampoline and they were falling on me,” she said.
Smith said she got dizzy and hit her head on what she believes was a speaker and passed out. She was taken to Caromont Regional Hospital with injuries but is expected to be OK.
Mother Damesha Russell said she was at the park with her son for a party when the fight broke out.
“It was just insane. It was out of control,” Russell said.
She said she and a friend guarded the door to give police the chance to find those causing trouble.
“There was a lot of people unsupervised running around,” she said.
Altitude Trampoline Park said there were supposed to be two off-duty Gastonia Police officers at the business, but the city didn’t have officers to work the venue.
The park said going forward they will have secured patrols, they will close an hour earlier on Friday and Saturday and anyone over 13 must be accompanied by a parent -- not just an adult.
Police said several agencies including Cramerton, Ranlo, Gaston County, Gaston County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Gastonia responded to help with crowd control.
Police arrested one adult and no other injuries were reported.
There were no reports of any weapons involved, according to police.
Cox Media Group
