A Florida mother was caught arriving at her daughter’s bus stop and interfering in a fight her daughter had instigated with another teen.
The footage shows Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, wearing hot pants as she puts the teen in a headlock, allowing her daughter to repeatedly punch the high school rival.
During the skirmish, a spectator described the boxing mother as “beautiful.”
Stephanopoulos now faces charges of aggravated child abuse after Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested her on Monday.
According to the department, the woman’s daughter agreed to fight with another student once they got off the school bus.
The pair are said to have had a falling out after they split over the summer, with Stephanopoulos left waiting at the bus stop after being told about the arranged fight
Another person, seen here on the left, intervenes in the fight to pull Stephanopoulos out of the fight, but instead tightens her grip on the teenager
The two teens got into a fight after they had gotten into a fight over the summer. The mother was waiting at the bus stop after hearing about the arrangement.
Footage taken from inside the school bus shows Stephanopoulos putting the girl in a chokehold and, authorities say, restricting her breathing.
Stephanopoulos’ daughter is wearing a brown shirt, while the other student is wearing a white shirt. Stephanopoulos is wearing hot pants and a green top.
After the two begin fighting, an onlooker can be heard describing Stephanopoulos as “beautiful.”
Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, was arrested Monday by deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office following the incident last Thursday
Finally, the mother steps between the two and grabs the girl in the white shirt, while her daughter wildly hits her around the ears.
Someone else joins the fight to take Stephanopoulos out of the fight, but instead she tightens her grip on the teenager.
The fights then escalate into separate incidents, with her daughter fighting with the person who tries to intervene.
As schoolchildren scream from the bus windows, Stephanopoulos can be seen continuing to struggle with the teenager on the ground.
The fight is eventually broken up by an unknown person. A person can be heard shouting from the bus, “Your mother is going to jail.”
The two groups continue to argue and move further apart. According to police, one of the teens hit Stephanopoulos with a metal cup.
One minor was also arrested for aggravated assault, while misdemeanor charges against another minor were forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
As schoolchildren scream from the bus windows, Stephanopoulos can be seen still struggling with the teenager on the ground
Sheriff Rick Staly said, “Instead of de-escalating the situation, we have a mother jumping into the fray and setting a bad example for her child and the people at the bus stop.
‘She will certainly not become the mother of the year with her actions. Parents should set a good example and not be part of the problem.
‘Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but now a mother is facing serious charges after losing control of her temper.’
Stephanopoulos was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. She has since been released after posting $1,000 bond, online jail records show.
According to an arrest affidavit seen by Fox 35it said: ‘It should be noted that Kathryn expressed regret and shame over the entire incident.’