Who are Brianna Lafoe and Sierrah Newell? Women charged for tossing baby back and forth ‘like a toy’ outside Florida bar
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Two young women from Florida, Brianna Lafoe, 19, and Sierrah Newell, 20, have been accused of recklessly tossing an infant as if it were a plaything outside a local bar, with the possibility of causing harm to the child's arm.
In the early hours of September 14, Brianna Lafoe and Sierrah Newell were allegedly seen throwing the child back and forth outside the Coyote Ugly Saloon, situated on Seabreeze Boulevard in Daytona Beach, as reported by WESH.
What did the two Florida women do outside the bar?
An eyewitness, who recorded the disturbing episode, informed the police that the inebriated women were seen engaging in the inappropriate act of throwing the infant and even flipping the child upside down outside the bar.
These details were gleaned from an arrest affidavit cited by the news outlet.
The affidavit further documented that the baby was repeatedly and carelessly thrown back and forth between the two women, much “like a toy”, covering a span of approximately four feet.
Jahada Rasheed, a witness to this distressing scene, recounted to WESH, "She started throwing the baby up and down a little too aggressively."
The infant was transported to Halifax Hospital, where a medical examination revealed red marks on the baby's back.
Additionally, X-ray images suggested the possibility of a fractured arm.
What are the charges against Sierrah Newell and Brianna Lafoe?
Sierrah Newell and Brianna Lafoe have been apprehended and are now facing charges of child abuse, according to an arrest affidavit. Furthermore, Lafoe has been slapped with an additional charge of battery.
Notably, Newell, who happened to be using crutches at the time, issued threats at onlookers who implored the women to cease their mistreatment of the child.
Police records indicate that while holding the baby, Newell approached the individual who was recording the incident, allegedly striking her.
Upon reviewing the video footage captured by the witness, law enforcement officials observed Sierrah Newell seated on the ground, while Brianna Lafoe stood nearby, engaging in a disturbing act of forcefully swinging the infant up and down.
As detailed in the affidavit, Lafoe purportedly held the baby in an inverted position and vigorously shook the child by its ankles, all of this occurring on unforgiving concrete ground.
Rasheed further explained, "Then she put the baby upside down. It was like hold up. This is getting way too far."
In the meantime, Lafoe took similarly reckless actions by turning the infant upside down by its ankles and even attempting to assault the woman who was holding Newell's crutches, as detailed in the affidavit.
Additionally, it was noted that she intentionally struck the woman who initially captured the incident on her right arm with an open hand, according to information obtained by Fox 35 Orlando.
Shawn Knapp, the manager at Crazy John's Recreational Cannabis, an establishment located adjacent to the scene of the incident, shared his thoughts.
Although he was not present during the event, the store's security camera recorded a significant portion of the occurrence.
Knapp expressed his deep distress upon viewing the footage, stating, “It really breaks your heart to see a little one go through something like that.”