A Carson woman who is accused of attacking a group of teenagers at a local Taco Bell with pepper spray now faces up to six years in state prison.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday that Nicole Coleman, 36, has been charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, three misdemeanor counts of child abuse and one misdemeanor count of use of tear gas.
“While I am relieved that none of the young victims suffered significant injuries, the nature of this attack is deeply troubling,” Gascón said in a news release. “As adults, we have a responsibility to be role models for our youth, and violence in any form is never an acceptable response.”
The incident took place on Sept. 11 at 5:42 p.m., according to the district attorney's office, and was captured on video that quickly spread online.
The video shows a woman pepper-spraying a group of Carson High School students and yelling obscenities. A fight then breaks out and punches are exchanged between the boys and the woman. The woman is seen throwing a teenage boy to the ground and hitting the same boy with a laptop.
“This is not something they deserve,” Vanessa Rodriguez, mother of one of the teens, told KCAL on Sept. 11.
Teens who were there told KCAL the conflict began last year with two girls fighting over a boy, and then escalated dramatically last week when one of the mothers arrived at Taco Bell brandishing pepper spray.
“These girls are very traumatized and scared by everything that is happening,” Rodriguez added.
Coleman was arrested that night by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Compton.
“Our office will continue to hold accountable those who endanger the safety and well-being of others in our community, especially our youth,” Gascón said.
