Brazilian Tourist Arrested and Permanently Banned From Disney World After Alleged Assault on Employee
Incident involving a character‑meet line at EPCOT was confirmed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; the guest denies wrongdoing
CRIME
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Image: Disney World, Florida
A Brazilian man was arrested and permanently banned from all Walt Disney World properties after allegedly assaulting a Disney employee during a character‑meet interaction at EPCOT, according to an incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The case happened on April 21, but details were made public only recently. The report identifies the guest as Diego Rodriguez, 42, who was detained inside EPCOT after an altercation with a cast member responsible for managing the line to meet Mirabel, the character from Disney’s Encanto.
According to the employee’s statement, Rodriguez’s young son attempted several times to run toward the character while another family was still taking photos. The cast member reportedly explained that they needed to wait their turn, but the child’s mother became upset and allegedly pushed a character‑autograph book into the employee’s face.
Moments later, Rodriguez allegedly grabbed the employee’s right arm, shook her, and shouted, demanding to know why his son could not approach the character. Witnesses — including the performer portraying Mirabel — told deputies that the man appeared agitated, yelling and making aggressive movements.
Park security intervened quickly and escorted the family to an internal security room, where Rodriguez was taken into custody.
Public records from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office show that hundreds of incidents are reported each year across Orlando’s theme parks, including cases of disorderly conduct, intoxication, restricted‑area violations, and disputes involving guests and employees. Disney maintains a zero‑tolerance policy: any physical aggression toward cast members results in immediate — and often permanent — removal from all Disney properties, regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.
Rodriguez was charged with battery and later released after posting a $2,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty. In addition to the criminal case, he has been permanently banned from returning to any Walt Disney World location.