Family Intervenes To Stop Drunken Driver After Tulsa Oktoberfest Celebration

A family's annual trip to Tulsa Oktoberfest ended after they said they had to call the police to stop a drunken driver.

Tens of thousands of people come out to River West Festival Park to celebrate Bavarian culture. Mark Shelton, the Head of Security for Tulsa Oktoberfest and a retired Tulsa Police officer said Friday and Saturday are the busiest days of the entire week.

With no parking on site, attendees either have to walk, bike, use a rideshare service, or take one of the free shuttles. The shuttle drops people off at the main entrance to the festival where attendees must go through a security checkpoint.

“They go through that tent and then anybody that does not make it through the metal detector without setting it off, then they are personally wanted,” said Shelton

With more than 50 off-duty law enforcement officers and security guards working security, the goal is to keep people safe.

“Any time you have a large number of people coming to the same place, especially in an atmosphere like this where it is festive, people are coming out to have a good time, you want to make sure that continues,” said Shelton.

Todd Worsham said he and his family come to Tulsa Oktoberfest every year, but this time it ended differently.

“We had a lady in front of us who was clearly intoxicated,” he continued saying, “She had another lady with her who was helping her along and she was stumbling along the sidewalk.”

As they were about to board a shuttle Friday night to leave Oktoberfest, Worsham said the intoxicated woman's friend left her alone.

“She brought her to the fence and left her at the fence and turned to me and said you will make sure she gets on the bus right,” he said.

Once they were on the shuttle, Worsham said the intoxicated woman tried to get off as it was moving and fell into a seat with children.

“Once we got back to the bus stop she staggered off the bus and stumbled over to her car and tried to drive off,” Worsham said.

The Worshams thought about their kids at that moment and decided to step in and call the police.

“She could barely walk, there was no way she could drive,” Worsham said. “We have got a 17-year-old son who is out there driving and it worries us all the time when we see things like this out there happening.”

Worsham said with all the parking for Oktoberfest being off-site there should be hydration stations and officers there, too.

“Then you can catch them before they actually get behind the wheel. You do not have to take them to jail, you can let them sober up, and hopefully save a life or two,” he added.

In a statement, Tulsa Oktoberfest, Inc. said,

“In the spirit of celebrating the German and Bavarian culture, Tulsa’s Oktoberfest offers a variety of entertainment, activities, food and beverages throughout the 6-day event. As with any public event, we encourage participants to enjoy responsibly and help maintain a safe and positive experience for all festivalgoers. Water is readily available throughout the festival grounds and the Festival enlists seasoned volunteers and professional staff who have been trained and briefed on service protocols for the event.”