BEREA, Ohio — Berea Police are now urging people to think twice before heading to haunted houses if they feel the need to bring a weapon.
This comes after Berea Police Lt. Tom Walker said officers found a 17-year-old boy with a black KA-BAR style knife that haunted house staff told officers he pulled out on several employees on Oct. 19 at Joe Boo Evil Events: Evil Unleashed, formerly known as Seven Floors of Hell.
Walker said the teen even tried to throw the knife into a garbage can.
But according to a Berea Police Report, haunted house staff watched the teen try to dispose of it and had a security guard recover the knife and hold him in custody.
“When he went into the first haunted house, one of the actors had tried to scare him at that point, he pulled the knife out and waved it toward him so that alerted the other,” Walker. said
Thankfully, no one got hurt, according to Walker.
But now, Walker says that teen is facing aggravated menacing charges in Juvenile Court, even though the report indicated he did not intend to harm anyone with it and repeatedly told officers he was scared and wanted to protect himself despite it being a haunted house.
“To have someone go to a haunted house and to feel afraid where they had to bring a weapon. It just seems like someone that shouldn't have been there at the haunted house to begin with,” Walker said.
Because of this minor’s actions, Walker urges people to think twice before putting themselves in this frightening situation.
“People probably need to make an assessment to make sure they're not going be overwhelmed by going into an environment like that where they feel like they have to bring a weapon with them,” he said.
Even Ellison, who said she has visited this haunted house in the past, doesn’t think people should attend haunted houses if they feel they have to harm someone.
“You can end up hurting so many people, and I just don’t think that’s safe at all,” Ellison said.
The haunted house attraction will be open this Friday and Saturday.
