Tokyo Disneyland workers subdue man who attacked Christmas parade
- The 51-year-old was gang tackled by employees and forcibly removed from the theme park after he barged into the path of an oncoming float and charged toward a performer
- Police said the suspect rambled incomprehensibly in custody and has a history of mental illness
A bizarre incident at Tokyo Disneyland brought the annual Christmas parade to an abrupt halt in front of Cinderella Castle when an unemployed 51-year-old man had to be gang tackled by employees and forcibly removed from the Japanese theme park.
The surreal disruption at the fantasyland playground occurred beneath the Donald and Daisy Duck float during the Disney Christmas Stories parade just as the afternoon procession passed through the park’s central hub on Tuesday.
A Disneyland visitor watching the parade barged into the middle of the route directly in the path of an oncoming float and began jumping up and down and waving his arms, according to local media accounts.
The middle-aged man charged toward a costumed elf performer who ran out of the way. The man was almost immediately tackled by several cast members – Disney parlance for employees.
Social media video showed six employees attempting to subdue the man with their collective body weight until Disney security officers arrived. It took seven Disneyland security guards to forcibly remove the “indecipherable shouting” man from the theme park as shocked visitors looked on, according to WDW News Today.