Dad grabs shotgun to break up chaotic party by 200 teens on his Ohio property, cops say

A massive teen party grew out of control at an Ohio man’s property, so he grabbed a shotgun and fired into the air, sending the crowd running to their cars, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The property owner, 42-year-old Travis Turkal, was arrested on Saturday, Aug. 6, the sheriff’s office said. He is facing charges of endangering children, using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing.

An estimated 200 teenagers gathered at Turkal’s property in Rayland, WTOV reported.

His son threw the party, but as word spread on social media, more and more teens flocked to the address, WTRF reported. The larger it grew, the more chaotic it became — eventually turning violent, witnesses told sheriff’s deputies.

Fights broke out, landing several attendees in the hospital, including a boy whose face and head were covered in cuts received from a broken bottle, WTRF reported.

A 16-year-old girl told deputies that a boy punched her in the face for trying to break up one of the brawls, according to the station.

Another boy was pistol-whipped in the head, the outlet reported. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, which is how deputies learned about the party, as the property is relatively isolated and nobody called 911 at any point.

The party ended soon after the boy was pistol-whipped, his friends told investigators.

Turkal went into his house and returned with a shotgun, witnesses said, the Herald-Star reported. The dad walked into the thick of the crowd and fired two to three shots into the air, yelling threats in between blasts.

Witnesses said Turkal then began pointing the weapon at the crowd, most of which had scattered and running to whatever vehicle brought them there, the newspaper reported.

When deputies arrived at the property, they found “countless” cans and bottles scattered across the property. But among all the litter, they also spotted two spent shotgun shells, according to the outlet.

While Turkal told investigators that he had been out with his girlfriend most of the night, witnesses say that he had been in attendance throughout the party, the newspaper reported.

Rayland is roughly 135 miles east of Columbus.

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