A parent and a boy in Haines, Florida, were arrested Friday after they allegedly assaulted a boy at a school bus stop, police said.
Haines City Police said 28-year-old Titiana D. Duffy was arrested and charged with assault and contributing to the delinquency of a dependent, and an unnamed juvenile was also charged with assault.
The altercation began as a verbal confrontation between two boys waiting for a school bus, but police said the matter quickly escalated into a physical confrontation with an adult family member of one of the boys who incited the fight. did.
Police said officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of an altercation and found multiple people involved in what appeared to be a “complicated situation.”
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Tatiana Duffy reservation photo (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
According to a preliminary investigation, the initial confrontation began verbally, but turned into a physical confrontation with one student punching the other.
Duffy was identified as the guardian of one of the boys involved, and an investigation also determined that Duffy instigated and intervened in the fight by punching another boy during the incident, police said. added.
Police officials posted a video of the altercation on Facebook Tuesday, taken by one of the bystanders.
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Titiana Duffy (right) was seen on video allegedly inciting a fight and punching a boy in Haines City, Florida, on March 1. (Haines City Police Department)
The video shows one boy pushing another boy as multiple people, including adults, walk toward them at the bus stop.
As the video progresses, the female boy is seen repeatedly punching another woman in the head. When another bystander tried to intervene, Duffy, who was using her cell phone, began yelling at the person and inciting her daughter during her fight.
A bystander tries to intervene again, and Duffy is seen on video punching him.
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Titiana Duffy, center, was seen on video allegedly inciting a fight and punching a boy in Haines City, Florida, on March 1. (Haines City Police Department)
Duffy and the boy were eventually arrested.
“The involvement, encouragement and participation of an adult in a teen fight at a bus stop is unacceptable and extremely concerning,” Haines Police Chief Gorek said in a statement. “This behavior not only escalates the violence, but also betrays the community’s expectations of adults’ responsibility to protect children.
“Our police department takes this incident seriously and will work to prevent incidents like this in the future.”
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Police encourage anyone with additional information about this incident to call 863-421-3636 or call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 888-400-8477 and leave a tip anonymously.
