DailyKenn.com — A Florida mother has been charged with inciting a 500-person riot at a skating rink after allegedly encouraging her daughter’s friends to "tear this place up" when her kid’s birthday party was canceled, according to police.
Stephanie Pedroso, 36, was arrested on Thursday for her alleged role in the chaos at Astro Skate in Brandon in May. The rink canceled her booking for an "after hours birthday party" due to a breach of contract, as stated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Pedroso had made the reservation on May 14 for the May 17 event, but failed to secure off-duty deputies for the party as required by the contract, leading to the cancellation. She was issued a refund, according to the police.
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However, Pedroso, angered by the cancellation, posted an expletive-filled rant on her daughter’s social media account, urging the girl’s friends to show up at the rink regardless.
“If y’all still go up there, tear the f--k out of them. I’ve got some money for y’all, and I’ll pay y’all ass,” Pedroso reportedly said in the video.
“I hope everybody still shows up and tears this place up tomorrow,” she added, and was also heard telling people to “make them work” and “stress them out.”
Around 9:20 p.m. on May 18, deputies responded to calls of a "crowd of 500 people" storming the rink, resulting in several fights. Deputies ordered the crowd to leave due to trespassing, but the mob continued fighting, damaging nearby businesses, and causing theft and disruptions, police said.
At a nearby barbershop, one victim was beaten and thrown through the store’s plate-glass window before being transported to a hospital.
It took deputies nearly six hours to contain the riot, which resulted in damage to five local businesses. Authorities arrested 23 minors and three adults at the scene.
“Using social media to encourage people to riot and destroy businesses is completely unacceptable, and we will not tolerate that here in Hillsborough County,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in a statement.
“This serves as a stark reminder of how quickly situations can spiral out of control and the importance of responsible behavior and the consequences of inciting violence,” he added.
Pedroso was charged with one count each of inciting a riot, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and driving with a suspended, canceled, or revoked license, authorities announced. She was released from detention Thursday after posting a bond of $2,500, according to jail records. [source]
A impulsivity and poor behavioral controls are traits common among psychopaths [source].
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