Walmart Brawl Mom Charged With Child Neglect
The Walmart shampoo aisle brawl has resulted in child neglect charges filed against one of the women in the viral video.
In the incident that was filmed by another customer with a cell phone and made national headlines, two women — one of whom was assisted by her young son — got into a violent altercation at the Beech Grove, Indiana, Walmart store.
At one point in the footage, the mom allegedly can be heard saying, “Johnny, punch her in the f*****g face.” The 6-year-old boy allegedly hit the other woman — identified by multiple media outlets as Rebecca Mills, who is initially seen in the video navigating through the store in a motorized scooter — with a shampoo bottle.
With poetic license, you might say that Sam’s Club gave way in this instance to Fight Club.
In the aftermath of the melee, both women have also apparently been banned from the suburban Indianapolis Walmart store.
“Amber Stephenson, 34, Indianapolis, was charged Friday with neglect of a dependent and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Indianapolis Star, Stephenson allegedly instigated the fight at the Beech Grove Wal-Mart on the night of June 4,” the Star explained about the charges filed yesterday. Stephenson apparently was taken into custody yesterday afternoon.
Under Indiana law, the child neglect charge is a felony that could result in jail time upon a conviction while the other charge is a misdemeanor.
In a radio interview, a woman who identified herself as Stephenson claimed that the brawl started when she overheard Mills call a Walmart employee the N-word.
“In an interview with investigators, the Wal-Mart worker reportedly said that Mills did not use the N-word but did threaten her,” CBS News reported, however.
The beef between Mills and the Walmart employee allegedly had its source when Mills struck some of the store’s shopping carts with her motorized cart.
“Stephenson placed her son in a ‘situation that endangered the dependent’s life or health’ with his risk of being ‘struck and/or physically injured,’ prosecutors said while announcing the charges,” according to the New York Daily News.
Marion County, Indiana, authorities have evidently ruled out bringing charges against Mills, given that they prioritized the “safety and welfare of the child, not choosing sides in what appears to be a mutually combative situation.”
The state’s Department of Child Services is also probing the Walmart brawl incident.
[image via YouTube]
Related story: Walmart Fight Video: Two Women Brawl In Shampoo Aisle
