OAN’s Abril Elfi
9:07 AM – Saturday, July 13, 2024
A Florida mother who called on her daughter’s friends to “tear this bitch up” after her child’s birthday party was postponed is accused of starting a 500-person riot at a skating rink.
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According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Stephanie Pedroso, 36, was detained on Thursday for allegedly igniting the riot at Brandon’s Astro Skate after the rink canceled her reservation for an “after hours birthday party” due to a breach of contract.
Pedroso booked the May 17th celebration for her daughter’s birthday on May 14th, but the party was canceled because she did not get the off-duty deputies that were specified in the contract and Pedroso was issued a refund.
However, the mother posted on her daughter’s social media encouraging her friends to show up either way.
“For y’all, 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 said in the video, according to police. “I hope everybody still shows up and tears this bitch up tomorrow.”
Pedroso was also heard calling on people to “make them crackers work” and “stress them the f—k out.”
On May 18th, at approximately 9:20 p.m., deputies were called in regarding a “crowd of 500 people” that had stormed the arena, resulting in multiple fights.
Police reported that despite deputies’ orders to leave because the crowd was trespassing, the mob persisted in fighting, causing damage to surrounding businesses, stealing, and interfering with operations.
One victim was assaulted and thrown through the plate-glass window of a nearby barbershop before being taken to a local hospital.
It took deputies nearly six hours to contain the riot that led to five local businesses being damaged.
Authorities arrested 23 minors and six 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,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
“This serves as a stark reminder of how quickly situations can spiral out of control and show the importance of responsible behavior and the consequences of inciting violence,” he added.
Authorities declared that Pedroso faced one count of inciting a riot, one count of using a two-way communication device illegally, and one count of driving with a suspended, canceled, or revoked license.
According to jail records, she was freed from custody on Thursday after posting a $2,500 bond.
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