Social media influencer Yoatzi Castro was celebrating a friend’s birthday at Disneyland, snacking on churros and riding Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, when the celebratory mood turned sour.
As Castro, decked out in concha-themed Minnie Mouse ears, posed for a photo with her friends in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle on Wednesday, a man wearing a white T-shirt groped her, the content creator alleged on social media.
“I am so … livid and I am so upset,” Castro said in a video posted on Instagram shortly after the incident. “I’m so grateful that we were livestreaming and we were able to capture it.”
The post included a brief clip of the encounter, which took place as Castro was live on Twitch.
The man, who was headed toward the castle with a female partner, can be seen in the clip walking close to Castro. As he passes her, his hand briefly disappears from view. Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.
“Bro, no, he grabbed my a—,” she can be heard saying loudly in the clip.
“What are you talking about?” he responds.
In a follow-up Instagram post, Castro said Disneyland security officers promptly found the man. Disneyland staff contacted the Anaheim Police Department, which arrested him.
The incident took place about 8 p.m., according to Anaheim police spokesman Eric Anderson.
The man was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery. He was cited and released that evening, Anderson said. A court date is still being determined.
Police did not immediately release the man’s name, but said they were not aware of any previous incidents involving him. An investigation is pending.
A spokesperson for Disneyland declined to comment.
Castro, who did not immediately respond to an interview request Friday, said on social media that she was grateful to Disneyland’s security personnel and plans to press charges. She said her goal in sharing her story was to spread awareness.
“As women, we always have to have our guard up, because you never know when men like this are around us,” she said in the second Instagram post.
