Florida police said a woman incited a riot involving hundreds of people after a skating rink canceled her party for violating its agreement and trying to throw a much larger party.
Between 400 and 500 people rioted in May at the parking lot of the Astro Skate rink in Tampa and led to about 26 arrests. Police announced that they were trespassing and issued multiple warnings, but they continued to riot.
‘For y’all, if y’all still go up there, tear the f*** out of them. I’ve got some money for y’all.’
The rioters fought and vandalized nearby businesses, and it took police officers about six hours to disperse the crowd. One girl was thrown through the glass window of a barber’s shop, reportedly causing $1,200 of damage and injuring the girl.
After an investigation, police said in a media conference on Thursday morning that they had arrested 36-year-old Stephanie Pedroso for inciting the riot in revenge for canceling a party she said was for her daughter’s 18th birthday.
The skating rink’s owner, Chris Maganias, told WTSP-TV that Pedroso refused to hire off-duty deputies for the event and then sold tickets in violation of their agreement. She also allegedly marketed the event as something other than a birthday party.
“The kind of stuff with 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,” said Maganias.
“She came in, flipped out, cussed and screamed and posted nonsense about [coming] to the skating rink the next night,” he added.
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said that Pedroso went streaming live on her daughter’s Instagram account and asked for people to riot at the business while promising to pay them.
“Using social media to weaponize our youth is absolutely deplorable,” the sheriff said. “As a parent, I cannot fathom what went through this woman’s mind when she put lives at risk to provoke this mayhem.”
Chronister said Pedroso made violent and vulgar statements in addition to using racial slurs.
“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 allegedly told people.
‘This is a stark reminder of how quickly situations can spiral out of control.’
Chronister excoriated Pedroso for her alleged actions.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Pedroso will face a stiffer penalty if convicted because of new legislation passed in Florida in 2021. She could be imprisoned for up to five years based on that change in the law.
Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement that the case had nothing to do with free speech.
“This case is not about peaceful protesters. This case is about rioters and in Hillsborough County, we will prosecute rioters,” she said.
In addition to the charge of inciting a riot, Pedroso was charged with unlawful use of a two-way communications device and driving with a suspended or revoked license. Her husband was also charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
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