Mom Of Teenager Who Encouraged Her Daughter To Punch A Girl During A Basketball Game Ordered To Pay $9K
Latira Shonty Hunt, the mother of a teenaged girl who punched an opposing player in the head during a basketball game in Orange County, California, has received her punishment.
According to KTTV, Hunt, who was facing jail time, has been ordered to pay $9,000 to the teenager who was punched and must take anger management classes before she can return to games. Hunt also has to write an apology letter to the victim, her parents and both basketball teams.
Hunt was charged with misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and battery for allegedly encouraging her daughter to hit a girl on the opposing team. A viral video captured the Nov. 7 incident. Hunt, 44, yelled, “You better hit her for that,” after the players stumbled into each other during the game. Her daughter punched the victim in the neck. The mother of the 15-year-old victim said her daughter was disoriented and suffered a concussion after being hit. The incident happened in the final game of a fall tournament.
Corey Benjamin, a former NBA player and father of the girl who punched the opposing player, told NBC Los Angeles at the time, “This is not how I raised my daughter. To the young lady who was punched by my daughter during a youth basketball game, I sincerely apologize to you, and I am praying for your complete healing both physically and emotionally. To her family, I deeply apologize and regret that this happened to your daughter as she did not deserve this to happen to her. Finally, I apologize to all of those who have been impacted and hurt by the actions of my daughter as well as those of her mother. I am here for your family and wish only the best for you.”
Benjamin was not at the game but saw the viral video.
After Hunt’s punishment was ordered, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement, "Parents have a fundamental responsibility to raise our children to be good human beings who treat everyone with dignity and respect. Youth sports play a crucial role in developing discipline, teamwork and fair play. A grown adult directing a child to use violence against another child on the basketball court is reprehensible."
Hunt's attorney, Brett Greenfield, said in a statement, ‘Unfortunately, this incident opened the social media door for many individuals to make direct statements to Ms. Hunt and her minor daughters. These statements were infected with racism, bigotry, threats, humiliation, bullying and more."
He also added Hunt has "been the source of national news exposure, ridicule, racist threats and rants, and for several months was forced to hide in a hotel with her children due to the nature of the violent threats. Defendant was forced to pull her juvenile daughter out of school for months, and only now is her life starting to become normal again."
