ORLANDO, Fla. (WKMG) – A family says they went to Epic Universe to celebrate their daughter\u2019s birthday, but it resulted in them being escorted out of the park by deputies.<\/p>\n
Mother Nikki Daou said they visited the park last month, with her daughter turning 7 years old. She says she registered her daughter with Universal\u2019s disability access program as she has autism and is nonverbal. <\/p>\n
However, after several hours of enjoying the park, the mother says things took a turn for the worse when they entered a Mario-themed gift store.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw a little Mario key chain, and she got excited. I handed her the key chain, and she clung to it,\u201d Daou said. <\/p>\n
According to the mother, moments later, the store became crowded with shoppers, and her daughter became agitated, so she took her outside<\/p>\n
Daou said her husband decided to have them wait outside while he went back in the store. <\/p>\n
According to Daou, her husband took the tag off the key chain and kept it with him inside, with the intent to pay for it. But moments after walking outside the store, she was approached by security.<\/p>\n
Daou said she told security her husband was inside the gift store and was going to pay for the $16 key chain, but she was still taken to a security office.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came back in and said the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office is on the way to escort you off the premises. You are hereby trespassed for a year,\u201d Daou said, security told her. \u201c We are also going to be sending you a fine in the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daou has since hired an attorney, Eric Block with Morgan and Morgan, who said he\u2019s submitted a demand letter to Universal.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they give her an apology? They say we overreacted \u2026 or did we see your husband was trying to pay? No. They actually sent her a letter of demand for money, accusing her of retail theft,\u201d Block said. <\/p>\n
Daou said Universal isn\u2019t considering her daughter\u2019s disability, which caused her to walk out of the store.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that they considered it at all,\u201d the mother said. <\/p>\n
Universal representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the situation. <\/p>\n
Daou said she hopes this doesn\u2019t happen to any other families.<\/p>\n
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