Jonathan Daniel /Allsport, Facebook
A California mom who encouraged her daughter to sucker punch an opposing player during a basketball game has been arrested and charged with two misdemeanors.
Latira Shonty Hunt, 44, was heard on a cell phone video urging her daughter to hit a rival player during a girls basketball tournament in November.
Hunt shares her 14-year-old daughter with former Chicago Bulls player Corey Benjamin, who issued an apology soon after the video went viral.
Hunt’s daughter attempted a 3-point shot and lost her balance when she landed on Lauryn’s foot during a tournament in Orange County last month.
In the video, Hunt is heard yelling, “You better hit her for that!”
Hunt’s daughter, who is unnamed because she’s a minor, sucker punched Lauryn Ham.
The punch sent 15-year-old Lauryn sprawling on the floor. She suffered a concussion and has recurrent headaches, according to her mother, Alice Ham.
Alice Ham, right, shared the video on Instagram, where it went viral.
“I want the daughter and the mom held accountable,” she said. “Because this type of behavior is reprehensible and cannot happen in youth sports.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer charged Hunt with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and battery. She faces up to a year in jail if convicted, DailyMail.com reports.
“In my opinion it would have not happened, but for mom’s words,” Spitzer said.
However, Richard Kaplan, a Los Angeles defense attorney not involved with this case, said the charges against Hunt are “a stretch.”
Kaplan said it will be difficult to prove Hunt’s outburst was a command and not “an emotional response in a heated moment.”
