Barbara Cypress was arrested Tuesday after she allegedly encouraged her daughter to hit another teenage girl. (Turlock Police Department)
A California woman was arrested Tuesday after a video appeared to show her encouraging her daughter to fight another teenage girl, officials said.
Barbara Cypress, 40, was arrested by the Turlock Police Department at her home. On Friday, a video captured her appearing to hold a teenage girl so her daughter could punch the teen at Columbia Park in Turlock.
“Hit her,” the woman in the video was heard saying. “It’s after school. It’s after school.”
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The alleged victim’s mother, Irina Lizarraga Acuna, said the fight began on the school bus before it escalated at the park. The two girls go to Turlock Junior High School, Acuna told FOX40.
Acuna shared the video of the fight to her Facebook page.
"In the video, you can see that the teenager doesn't even want to hit my daughter. She's being forced by her mom to hit her," Acuna told FOX40. "You know, I'm not even mad, I can't be mad at the teenager. I'm mad at the mom. How could you force your daughter to hit someone else?"
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Acuna said she will be pressing charges against the woman. The Turlock Unified School District said they would be investigating the incident.
Cypress faces “a felony false imprisonment charge and two misdemeanor charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor,” the Turlock Police Department stated.
The girl who hit the victim was “cited and released” the Modesto Bee reported.
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