A canceled birthday party, social media posts and an ensuing riot led to the arrest of a Florida mom alleged to have sparked a roller rink riot.
“I hope everybody still show up and tear this b*tch up tomorrow.”
(Video: Fox 13 Tampa Bay)
Nearly two months after violence around Brandon, Florida’s Astro Skate took almost 40 deputies roughly six hours to contain, an arrest was made of the 36-year-old mother alleged to have triggered brawling, vandalism and theft.
According to a Thursday release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Stephanie Pedroso was arrested Wednesday after a review by detectives of her social media content prompted a charge of inciting a riot when her daughter’s “after hours birthday party” was canceled.
“I want to be clear: 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.
On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Stephanie Pedroso, 36, after a thorough investigation showed she deliberately used social… pic.twitter.com/QieVacX1u5
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) July 11, 2024
Statements attributed to Pedroso on her social media, as detailed by HCSO, included:
“For y’all, if y’all still go up there, tear the f*ck out of them. I’ve got some money for y’all, and I’ll pay y’all a**.”
“I hope everybody still show up and tear this b*tch up tomorrow.”
“Make them cr*ckers work.”
“Using social media to weaponize our youth is absolutely deplorable. As a parent, I cannot fathom what went through this woman’s mind when she put lives at risk to provoke this mayhem,” said Chronister who also stated, “This is a stark reminder of how quickly situations can spiral out of control and shows the importance of responsible behavior and the consequences of inciting violence.”
The release from law enforcement detailed how, “On Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 9:20 p.m., our Communications Center received a call from an off-duty HCSO deputy that a large crowd of 500 people had shown up to Astro Skate in Brandon, where several fights had broken out.”
After around six hours, dozens of deputies had contained the violence that had led to 23 juvenile arrests, three adult arrests, damage to five businesses, and one individual sent to the hospital after a beating at a barbershop resulted in their being thrown through the window.
In addition to a charge of inciting a riot, Pedroso was charged with driving with license suspended, canceled, or revoked (3rd offense) and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.”
Further, her husband, 38-year-old James Knight II, was said to have been arrested on unrelated charges of driving with license suspended, canceled or revoked (3rd offense).
In explaining the reason behind the party’s cancelation, HCSO detailed how Pedroso had paid to have her daughter’s party at the roller rink, but owner Chris Maganias ultimately refunded her and canceled the event for alleged breach of contract after she failed to hire the necessary off-duty deputies for security. Additionally, he told Fox 13 that fliers for the event had “booty contests and all that nonsense” when she was said to have claimed it was going to be a kid-friendly party.
He further alleged that she had been reselling tickets to make herself a profit on the event.
The New York Post reported that Pedroso was released Thursday having posted a $2,500 bond.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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