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British man arrested at Disney World after allegedly pushing 18-year-old girl while waiting in line
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The incident occurred at Magic Kingdom’s Tiana Bayou Adventure Park and involved a queue-jumping dispute.
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Keith Richard Newman denied pushing the girl but was charged with assault and was released on $1,000 bail three days later.
A Disney World visitor was arrested after allegedly pushing an 18-year-old girl while waiting in line at Tiana Bayou Adventure.
The incident occurred at the Magic Kingdom on February 20, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. The victim allegedly claimed to responding officers that another guest “pushed her back with both hands,” causing her to fall backwards onto her friend.
The girl said she and her friends were lining up for the Tiana Bayou Adventure and passed the crowd to catch up with others. However, they claimed to have met a man named Keith Richard Newman along the way.
Entrance to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park
Photo credit: Olga Thompson/Disney/Handout
According to the alleged victim, Richard, a 47-year-old man from Newcastle, England, “put out his hand to try to stop her.” The girl said she tried to get around him, but Newman “pushed her back with both hands,” according to the affidavit.
The victim then allegedly “fell backwards towards her friend,” another witness confirmed. The teen claimed the push caused her to spill the water bottle “all over” her friend.
The friend told police that Newman announced to her, “This is a line-up,” before the alleged beating.
Speaking to police, Newman admitted “he did put his hand out to stop [the alleged victim] Newman claimed the victim walked into his hands, which is why the physical contact occurred, the report said. He further claimed that he “never touched or pushed” the girl.
The police report further stated that the victim had “no visible bruises, scratches or other signs of injury and refused medical treatment at the scene.”
The officer then arrested Newman for assault, according to witness testimony.
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Newman was released on $1,000 bail on February 23, according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE. A day later, the defendant entered a written plea of not guilty.
People has reached out to attorneys for Disney and Newman for comment.
Read the original article on People