Shooting near Knott’s Berry Farm ignites panic inside California park. ‘Total chaos’

A drive-by shooting of two people Friday night outside Knott’s Berry Farm sparked panic inside the Southern California amusement park.

Two teens were injured in the 8:27 p.m. shooting outside the front gates of the Orange County attraction, KTLA reported. No arrests have been made.

The gunshots set off a wave of confusion and panic inside the 57-acre amusement park, with some park-goers fleeing and others hiding.

“Everyone was like, ‘run, run, run!’ Everybody started panicking,” visitor Melody Padilla of Hacienda Heights told KABC. “Kids are getting lost. It was scary because we didn’t know what was going on.”

Authorities treated three people who suffered minor injuries in the panic, KTLA reported.

The two teenagers who were shot are reported in stable condition, according to KABC.

Visitor Zachary Lewis told the Orange County Register that he initially saw people running from a bumper car ride at the amusement park.

“I checked around first, thought it was a fire because I could smell burning,” Lewis said. “But then I heard: ‘Gun! Gun! Gun!’”

A park employee helped Mark Ahrens and other visitors hide in a storage area, fearing an active shooter inside the park, according to the publication.

“Nothing worse than my teenager calling me whispering, ‘Mom there’s a shooter what do I do?’” wrote one mother on Twitter. “I have 4 teenagers that I hope won’t be traumatized by today’s events. Total chaos.”

“I really cant stop replaying yesterday in my head,” read another Twitter post about the incident.

Several park-goers posted photos and videos of the panic inside the park.

The park reopened Saturday. An investigation into the shooting continues, police say.

This story was originally published July 11, 2021 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Shooting near Knott’s Berry Farm ignites panic inside California park. ‘Total chaos’."