The riot ensued after the Florida business cancelled a party requested by Stephanie Pedroso.
A woman in Tampa, Florida, was arrested for inciting a riot involving hundreds of people outside of a skating rink. The issue ensued after the business cancelled a party requested by Stephanie Pedroso.
WTSP reports staff at Astro Skate decided to cancel an 18th birthday party for Pedroso’s daughter in May. They stated that due to the growing number of those invited, it would be unable to accommodate such a crowd. According to law enforcement, the Tampa-based skating rink refunded Pedroso, who also breached contract by failing to hire police for the event.
Furthermore, the rink’s owner, Chris Maganias, alleged that Pedroso resold tickets while sharing flyers that described the event as not kid-friendly. He also claims that Pedroso responded to the cancellation by threatening to show up anyway.
“The kind of stuff with a booty contest, and all that nonsense, that’s not for us, so we were within our rights to cancel her party and that’s what we did,” detailed Maganias to the news outlet. “She came in, flipped out, cussed, and screamed and posted nonsense about [coming] to the skating rink the next night.”
According to police, Pedroso went on her daughter’s Instagram, encouraging others to join her riot and “confront” law enforcement.
“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**,” she alleged said in the video.
Between 400 and 500 people showed up on May 18 to join Pedroso. The participants damaged surrounding businesses, with over $1,500 in damages. A 16-year-old was also injured after allegedly being thrown into the glass window of a nearby barber shop.
The mom was later arrested by Hillsborough County police for starting the riot. Twenty-six others, the majority being minors, were also detained. Pedroso’s charges included unlawful use of a two-way communications device and driving with a suspended license.
The county’s sheriff, Chad Chronister, shared his disappointment in Pedroso’s use of social media to promote violence.
“Using social media to weaponize our youth is absolutely deplorable,” said Chronister at a press conference held on July 11. “As a parent, I cannot fathom what went through this woman’s mind when she put lives at risk to provoke this mayhem.”
He reiterated, “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. 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.”
If found guilty of inciting a riot, Pedroso could receive a five-year jail sentence due to stricter Florida laws.
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