Parents Heated Argument On School Bus Ends In Stabbing
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) -- A fight between parents on a school bus filled with kids Thursday morning ended with a daughter being stabbed and a gun drawn.
It all began when mother Cahquinne Demps got on the bus when she saw her son was being bullied.
"Once he got on the bus, the bullying began again. She decided to get on the bus to confront the kids who were terrorizing her child," said Gina Carter with Broward Sheriff's Deputies (BSO).
That child, who will not be named for his safety, spoke to CBS4's Ted Scouten.
He said the bullying has been going on for a while.
"They're stereotyping me like I'm gay, which I'm not," he said.
CLICK HERE To Watch Travell Eiland's Report
He went on to say that not only was a student fighting him, but that child's mother, 15-year-old sister and brother were on the bus too and that the mother egged it on.
"His mom tell him to 'whoop my a!' So he reached for me. I moved my head to keep him from hitting me and I pushed him down and his parent grabbed me and hold me down so his older brother could fight me," he said.
Witnesses said Demps pulled out a knife just before 9 a.m, and stabbed the 15 year-old Brenna St. Hilaire in the hand. "So she hit me and that's when I started attacking her and as I was fighting her. I was upper cutting her and that's when she took out a knife out of nowhere and stabbed me in my hand and in my breast."
St. Hilaire says she is nursing nine stitches and will need surgery. She also told CBS4's Travell Eiland that her brother is not a bully.
"We live in the same neighborhood we don't bully that's one thing we don't do," said St. Hilaire.
Everyone got off the bus after St. Hilaire was stabbed, but it didn't end there.
Investigators and witnesses said Demps got a gun and started waving it around causing the kids to panic.
"The mom pulled out a gun and said 'what's up now, what's up now,' then the daughter and the mom went into the bus and closed the door," said a child who was on the bus.
As she was waving the gun around, BSO Pompano Beach deputies arrived on scene.
Demps was arrested for aggravated battery and felony possession of a firearm.
BSO said Demps has a criminal history going back to 2004 for charges including grand theft, burglary, criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.
All of the children were back safe at Pompano Beach Middle School.
"We were really scared. We never thought anything like this would happen to us," said one student.
Thursday afternoon, in response to the incident, Broward County Public Schools put out a statement:
"The safety of our students is always our highest priority. Following this morning's incident, all of the students aboard the bus were brought to school where counseling support services were made available. School and District staff members are also working closely with local law enforcement and Broward District Schools Police Department regarding their investigation into the situation."