Summer brawl at Helsinki amusement park brings charges for five suspected assailants

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Five persons are facing charges over a large-scale brawl that broke out at the Linnanmäki amusement park on Sunday June 6th, 2010.
      Legal proceedings in the matter are to start at the Helsinki District Court on March 23rd.
     
Disrict prosecutor Kai Minttumäki says that the number of people involved in the affray and possibly guilty of assault may have been higher, but charges could be filed against these five only.
      Right after the incident, the police estimated that the clash might have involved up to 150 people.
     
During police investigations, nine young men and women aged between 16 and 27 were suspected of having been involved in the fighting, which actually caused the entire park to close early as local security were obliged to call in the law as matters spiralled out of their control.
      Linnanmäki had been quite full during the day, which had seen both sunny weekend weather and a two-for-one admission offer.
     
According to the police, the massive scuffle started when some young women got into an altercation over jumping the queue to a popular ride.
      This quickly developed into a large-scale brawl involving a sizeable crowd of youths, all tearing, pushing and kicking each other.
      However, no serious injuries were sustained.
      Reportedly, the scuffle was between Finns with Somali and Iraqi Kurdish backgrounds.
      Initially it was suspected that the incident might have been an ethnic clash.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Linnanmäki CEO says no refunds will be forthcoming after brawl causes early closure (8.6.2010)
  About 150 involved in mass brawl at Helsinki amusement park (7.6.2010)

Links:
  Linnanmäki Amusement Park

Helsingin Sanomat