Share and Follow
A father has been permanently banned from Disney World following an incident that escalated into an alleged altercation with a park employee.
Diego Rodriguez is accused of shouting at and physically grabbing a staff member, actions that led to his arrest. According to an affidavit accessed by Oxygen, Rodriguez has faced a lifetime ban from the popular theme park.
In addition to the ban, Rodriguez has been charged with battery and was subsequently taken to Orange County Jail in Florida. This information was corroborated by court documents reviewed by Oxygen.
Rodriguez, who has entered a plea of not guilty, awaits further legal proceedings. His attorney has yet to issue a comment on the situation, despite inquiries from Oxygen.
The incident reportedly occurred on April 21, when a performer dressed as Mirabel from Disney’s “Encanto” noticed a family of four persistently following her throughout the park while calling out her character’s name, as detailed in the affidavit.
The family “kept persisting to meet her,” she said in the affidavit according to police, and wouldn’t listen to repeated instructions to wait until she was ready.
Soon, the mother started waving an autograph book in her face and the child ran up to her, interrupting her time with other guests, per the affidavit.
At one point, according to the affidavit, Rodriguez “forcibly grabbed” the assistant and shook her while asking why his child couldn’t meet her.
Then, Rodriguez shouted—according to a witness in the docs—”Why [can] everyone take a picture but us?”
Because she’s unable to defend herself in character, she asked a colleague to step in to assist. Shortly after, management escorted the family to the Epcot Center Security Office to speak to police. Now, as the assistant told police, she plans to press charges.
As a result, Rodriguez is banned from Walt Disney World according to the affidavit, “never to return.”
A spokesperson for Disney World did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.