A woman accidentally shot her 12-year-old sister after dropping her purse in a crowd.

Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)

While they may seem over-the-top to the typical parkgoer, today’s security measures have evolved in response to some pretty gruesome events in the parks’ past. Visitors have been subject to shootings, stabbings, and assaults within both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort, both of the intentional and unintentional variety.

One particularly tragic case fell into the latter category in 1984. Twelve-year-old Diane and her 20-year-old sister, Nancy, were enjoying a serene summer day at Disneyland when an unfortunate accident landed the child in the local hospital.

The two were exiting “it’s a small world” in Fantasyland, the third attraction they’d picked as part of an early birthday trip for Diane. As Nancy reached to maneuver her five-year-old sister, Crystal, out of the way of the crowd, her purse slipped off of her shoulder and fell to the pavement—inadvertently causing the double-barreled, .38-caliber derringer pistol inside to discharge upon impact. The bullet initially struck Diane in the thigh and tore five or six holes in her lower intestines before lodging in her abdomen. Thankfully for all involved, the girl survived the incident and received immediate treatment for her wounds.

Per the Los Angeles Times, Nancy was subsequently placed under investigation for carrying a concealed weapon; something, she said, she only had with her for self-defense and wished she never carried with her to the park in the first place. As for Diane, she told the Times she still had hopes of seeing ‘all of Disneyland’ on her next trip.

A thief foiled his own robbery attempt after running into a tree.

Image: CL Photographs, Flickr (license)

According to former Walt Disney World detective John Ford, crimes weren’t always as flawlessly executed as they might have been planned. Within the first decade of Walt Disney World’s grand opening, the Magic Kingdom-area Contemporary Resort had already been hit several times: one employee donned a tuxedo, fashioned a hood out of a pillowcase, and tried to rob the accounting department before getting caught in the marshes around the property; another employee was charged with lifting $1,000 worth of company computers; a third thief jumped from the 12th-floor balcony in a tragic suicide, the first the resort had seen in its brief history.

Not all apprehensions ended so badly. In the 1970s, the Contemporary played host to the most iconic dining spot on property: a hybrid restaurant/nightclub called Top of the World. Dinner was often supplemented by a musical performance, Sundays brought out the all-you-can-eat brunch crowds, and the swanky lounge décor couched gourmet dining experiences that included roast duck, prime rib, an extensive salad selection, and monorail-themed cocktails.

Top of the World attracted the after-6 p.m. crowd, adults looking for a break from the nonstop pace of theme park vacations… and their fair share of would-be robbers. Per Ford, one of the most unsuccessful attempts involved a gentleman who made for the cash register with a toy gun. Not only did he not succeed in emptying the restaurant’s reserves, but he was in such a hurry to flee security that he soon ran into a tree and knocked himself out.

***

Have you seen any crimes committed at the Disney Parks? What’s the wildest story you’ve heard about the parks’ storied and eventful history?