A Haines City, Florida, parent and juvenile were arrested on Friday, after getting involved in a physical altercation at a school bus stop, according to police.
The Haines City Police Department said 28-year-old Taityana D. Duffy was arrested and charged with battery and contributing to the delinquency of a dependent, while the unnamed juvenile was also charged with battery.
The altercation started as a verbal confrontation between two juveniles who were waiting for the school bus, though police said the matter quickly escalated into a physical confrontation with an adult family member of one of the juveniles instigating the fight.
Officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of an altercation, and when they arrived, they found multiple people engaged in what appeared to be a “complex situation,” police said.
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Taityana Duffy booking photo (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
A preliminary investigation found that the initial confrontation started out verbal, but turned physical with one student striking the other.
Duffy was identified as the guardian of one of the juveniles involved, and the investigation found she instigated, and even intervened in the fight by striking another juvenile during the incident, police added.
The police department released video of the altercation on Facebook on Tuesday, which was captured by one of the bystanders.
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Taityana Duffy, right, was seen on video from March 1 allegedly instigating a fight and striking a juvenile in Haines City, Fla. (Haines City Police Department)
The video shows one juvenile shoving another as multiple people walk toward them at the bus stop, including adults.
As the video progresses, a female juvenile is seen repeatedly punching another female’s head. When another bystander attempts to intervene, Duffy, who is on her cellphone, starts shouting at the person, then instigating her daughter during the fight.
The bystander tries to intervene again, and Duffy is seen on video striking the person.
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Taityana Duffy, center, was seen on video from March 1 allegedly instigating a fight and striking a juvenile in Haines City, Fla. (Haines City Police Department)
Duffy and the juvenile were ultimately arrested.
“The involvement of an adult, in encouraging, and participating in a teenage fight at a bus stop is unacceptable and deeply concerning,” Haines City Police Chief Goreck said. “This behavior not only escalates violence, but also fails our community’s expectation of an adult’s responsibility to help safeguard our children.
“Our department is taking this matter seriously and will act to prevent such incidents in the future.”
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Police encourage anyone with additional information about the incident to call them at 863-421-3636, or to call the Heartland Crime Stoppers at 888-400-8477 to leave an anonymous tip.
