Stephanie Pedroso (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office) and authorities outside the Astro Skate where she allegedly incited a 500-person riot (WTVT screenshot)
A 36-year-old mother in Florida has been arrested after police say she intentionally incited a 400 to 500 person riot at a local skating rink after the business canceled her teen daughter’s birthday party for breach of contract.
Stephanie Pedroso was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count each of inciting a riot, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and driving with a license suspended, canceled, or revoked, authorities announced.
“Using social media to weaponize our youth is absolutely deplorable,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “As a parent, I cannot fathom what went through this woman’s mind when she put lives at risk to provoke this mayhem.”
According to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, responded to a call from an off-duty deputy who reported that about 500 people were at the Astro Skate in Brandon, Florida, and that several fights had already broken out. The business is about 245 miles northwest of Miami.
Upon arriving at the scene, multiple deputies took nearly six hours to contain the melee, which resulted in the arrests of 23 juveniles and three adults for “the escalation of chaos at the scene.” Additionally, the sheriff’s office said that one person was injured and five local businesses were damaged during the riot.
Following an investigation, deputies said that Pedroso incited the riot of mostly juveniles because Astro Skate canceled her daughter’s birthday party.
Pedroso and Astro Skate on May 14 entered into a contract stating that the facility would host an “after-hours birthday party” for her daughters on May 17, the release states. The contract stipulated that Pedroso was responsible for securing a certain number of off-duty deputies.
Pedroso then shared the event on her daughter’s social media accounts, which authorities said “gained considerable attention and hundreds of likes.”
However, the sheriff’s office said that Pedroso “failed to secure the required off-duty deputies” for the party, meaning she was in breach of the contract with Astro Skate. As a result, the business canceled Pedroso’s reservation and issued her a refund on May 17.
“That’s when Pedroso used her daughter’s social media to make a live video encouraging friends to show up to inflict violence in the community, which included many of the businesses around Astro Skate,” the release states. “In the Instagram live video stream, Pedroso could be heard making multiple violent and vulgar statements as well as numerous racial slurs.”
Pedroso allegedly made the following statements in the video:
- “For y’all, if y’all still go up there, tear the f— 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—- up tomorrow.”
- “Make them crackers work.”
- “Stress them the f— out.”
- “F— that, we should still go to Astro.”
The Tampa Bay Times reported that a teen was thrown through the plate glass window of a barber shop next to the skating rink and that rioters broke in and looted a 7-Eleven across the street, causing about $500 worth of damage.
“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,” Chronister continued. “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.”
Pedroso was released from detention Thursday after posting bond of $2,500. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.
The anti-incitement law used to charge Pedroso was recently upheld by the Florida Supreme Court, which issued a decision last month clarifying that the law cannot be used to prosecute nonviolent protesters or bystanders.
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