Police: Video shows mom in fight between Palatka students

Girl's father pursuing charges against Palatka High School student's mother

PALATKA, Fla. – Cellphone video shows two Palatka High School students fighting in the parking lot of a Burger King, according to Palatka police, who say the mother of one of the girls got involved.

But investigators say the mother, who hasn't been charged, didn't appear to do all she could to break things up.

The father of the other girl, Shane Ellison, says he wants to pursue assault charges against the mother in the fight.

In the video, a girl in a black top and white shorts is standing in the middle of the parking lot when suddenly from the left comes another girl into the shot who begins throwing fists. The two students go at it for several seconds.

The woman in a white shirt, according to police, is the 42-year-old mother. She initially told officers she was trying to break up the fight and protect her daughter, but investigators say her story differs from what they saw in the video.

"From my understanding, it did appear she was more of instigating the fight," said David Parsons, of the Palatka Police Department. "She got involved with it more than just breaking it up."

In the video, someone else is seen holding up a camera and recording the fight. Police say they have two different versions, two recordings of the parking lot brawl.

The police report says one of the videos shows the mother grab the other girl by the hair and swing her around, causing the girl to be off balance while her daughter continued to strike her.

The report says the officer told the mother "she could have grabbed her daughter and left before the fight began." The mother responded, "Yeah, I know, but I didn't," according to report.

Some moms at Palatka High talked about what they would do in that situation.

"As far as getting involved in the fight, you don't, other than try to get it stopped," parent Kate Fazio said. "You know, I would never put my hands on someone else's kid."

"I would go up to my own child, I guess, not the other student, get her away from there," parent Becky Poole said.

The Police Department says the evidence has been passed along to the state attorney's office.