A dispute over a towel caused a fight involving 40 people at a California water park

Posted at 11:54 AM, Aug 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-27 18:14:43-04

A water park in Sacramento, California, had to close early Sunday because of two feuding families — and the source of the dispute was a towel.

The fight at Raging Waters started between two women who were arguing over who took whose beach towel, Cal Expo Police Chief Everest Robillard said. The two-person confrontation grew to about 40 people, Robillard said, and involved two families. Some people in the brawl, split between the two families of about 15-20 people each, were physically trading blows while others were just trading insults.

The fight sent a 35-year-old man and his mother to the hospital. The man was in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital but is in stable condition as of Tuesday. According to police, the man was found unconscious and without a heartbeat when paramedics arrived.

The man's mother was also taken to the hospital but was not critically hurt.

"She wasn't assaulted, she was just emotionally excited about it and had asthma, seizure," Robillard said.

People were escorted out of the park after the incident, leaving some patrons less than happy.

"We were having a great time, and unfortunately it ended soon," Gonzalo Bustante told KTXL.

Bustante witnessed the brawl unfold.

"I saw two groups yelling back and forth to each other and they started getting a little physical," he said. "Next thing I know is I see a chair being broken over some guy's head."

No arrests have been made but criminal charges may be filed at a later date, authorities said.

Police said alcohol contributed to the fight.