A furious mother who spotted her teenage son throwing rocks at police during the Baltimore riots, tracked the boy down and beat him in the street. The single mom is being hailed a hero after the video went viral late Monday.
According to Baltimore ABC affiliate WMAR, the angry mom spotted her son while watching televisions news coverage of the turmoil in the streets.
The woman approached her son who was dressed ninja style and wearing a black face mask. She grabbed him and smacked him several times before he broke away and ran. She pursued him again and snatched off his face mask while berating him and ordering him to go home.
The rioters, mostly school children, took to the streets of northwest Baltimore on Monday, following the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Gray died a week after he suffered horrific spinal injuries in the back of a police van.
Critics of the Baltimore Police Department believe Gray was critically injured during a police technique called “waffling.” This occurs when a police van driver slams on the brakes, causing unrestrained occupants to be thrown violently against the steel cage that separates detainees from the driver.
The Baltimore Police admit that Gray was not buckled into his seat after he was handcuffed. The police van made 2 unexplained stops during the half-hour trip to the police station.
As looting and property destruction ensued, police and civic leaders pleaded with parents to go into the streets and collect their unruly children. One mom apparently listened and took action.
The mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is under fire for her handling of the crisis. Rawlings-Blake was nowhere to be found for 12 hours while the streets of her city burned. She later issued a 9PM curfew for teenagers 14 and under and a 10PM curfew for teens 15-17 years of age. But city residents say she didn’t do enough.
During the chaos, 17 police officers were injured and 2 officers were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Cars were set on fire and a CVS drug store was looted and burned. A man was caught on video stabbing a fire hose with a knife as firefighters battled the blaze.
Many Baltimore residents blame the national media for using weighted language in their news reports and inciting the riots and turmoil to boost TV ratings.
A radio reporter, Steve Dorsey, was sucker punched by a thug who stole his iPhone as he lay dazed on the asphalt. Dorsey was treated for a leg injury and released from a local hospital.
Thousands attended Gray’s funeral on Monday, including White House officials. The family had called for a day of peace without protests, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
