Topline
The mother of a teenage basketball player—who is the daughter of former Chicago Bulls player Corey Benjamin—is facing criminal charges in Southern California after she called for her daughter to hit her opponent from the stands, leading to an “unprovoked attack” by her daughter that left a rival player with a concussion.
Key Facts
Latira Shonty Hunt, 44, was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one misdemeanor count of battery, the Orange County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
During a youth basketball game last month in Garden Grove, California, Hunt allegedly shouted, “you better hit her for that,” following an interaction between her daughter and another player, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Her daughter then “sucker punched” the other player in the head and gave her a concussion in an “unprovoked attack,” the player’s attorney Kevin Hahn told Forbes.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a press release it was “unconscionable” that a parent would encourage violence during a sports match, adding that “encouraging violence against a rival player is criminal.”
An attorney representing the family did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
Benjamin apologized to the player and her family for his daughter’s actions in a statement released to multiple news outlets last month after a video of the incident went viral. “As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds," the former Bulls player said. “Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires.”
Tangent
The teenage girl also threw punches at a different basketball game in September, which was caught on video, Fox LA reports. It is unclear whether there were any injuries from that incident.
Key Background
The legality of charging parents for their children’s alleged crimes varies from state to state. California has a “parental responsibility law” where prosecutors can file criminal charges and penalties on parents for the criminal actions of their children. In Florida, state law allows for people to be charged as accomplices in certain alleged crimes, or for obstructing evidence, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told local news station Fox 59 during the peak of the Gabby Petito case. Coffindaffer said the parents of Brian Laundrie, Petito’s fiancé and who was named a person of interest following her disappearance and murder this summer, could “have possible culpability” for their alleged role in what critics called aiding and abetting their son’s run from police. Laundrie’s parents have not been charged with a crime. And in Michigan, prosecutors charged Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of a teenage suspect accused of killing four and injuring several students, with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Further Reading
California mother charged for telling child to hit opponent (Associated Press)
Former Bulls, Hawks guard Corey Benjamin apologizes for daughter's sucker punch in youth basketball game (CBS Sports)
