Two Women Charged After Allegedly Tossing Baby Back And Forth Outside Bar

Brianna Lafoe, 19, and Sierrah Newell, 20 were apprehended around 1 a.m. on Thursday after the police received a call regarding an incident at the Coyote Ugly Saloon on Seabreeze Boulevard in Daytona Beach, as reported by WESH.

Volusia County Sheriffs Office

A witness who captured a video of the disturbing incident informed the police that the two heavily intoxicated women were tossing the baby and turning him upside down outside the bar. This information was obtained from an arrest affidavit cited by the outlet.

Volusia County Sheriffs Office

According to the document, the two women were throwing the baby back and forth like a toy, covering a distance of approximately 4 feet.

Additionally, Sierrah Newell, who was using crutches, allegedly made threats to hit bystanders who tried to intervene and stop the women from mistreating the child, as stated by the police.

“She started throwing the baby up and down a little too aggressively,” witness Jahada Rasheed told WESH.

While holding the baby, Newell approached the individual who was recording her and reportedly hit that person.

Crazy John's Recreational Cannabis via FOX 35 Orlando

“Then she put the baby upside down. It was like hold up. This is getting way too far,” Rasheed told the outlet.

Meanwhile, Lafoe turned the baby upside down by his ankles and attempted to strike the woman with one of Newell's crutches, as detailed in the affidavit.

She also “actually and intentionally struck (the woman who was initially recording) on the right arm with an open hand,” police said in the affidavit, according to Fox 35 Orlando.

The infant was transported to Halifax Health with visible red marks on his back. An X-ray examination uncovered a mark on his arm that suggests a possible broken arm, as outlined in the affidavit.

Crazy John's Recreational Cannabis via FOX 35 Orlando

The redacted document did not disclose the identity of the baby's parents or guardians. However, Newell's mother was present at the scene during the incident, and the Department of Children and Families is conducting an investigation to determine if she can assume custody of the child, as reported by Fox 35.

The child has been discharged from the hospital, as confirmed by the police.

Lafoe and Newell were both charged with felony child abuse. Additionally, Lafoe faced an additional charge of battery and was detained with a bond set at $3,500. Newell, on the other hand, has reportedly been released.

Shawn Knapp is a manager at Crazy John's Recreational Cannabis, a store next to where the incident happened. The store's security camera captured much of the incident. Knapp wasn’t present at the time, but said he found the footage disturbing. 

“It really breaks your heart to see a little one go through something like that,” Shawn Knapp, a manager at the nearby Crazy John’s Recreational Cannabis store, told the outlet.

He expressed the belief that if bystanders hadn't stepped in to intervene, the situation could have escalated and resulted in even more serious consequences.

“That’s what we need in all communities, right?” he told Fox 35. “We need people to watch out for each other no matter what age.”