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Police: Woman arrested after goading two girls, 13, into street fight

SHELBY, N.C. — Two teenage girls from Shelby were caught on video pummeling each other as a grown woman egged them on, a video shows.

The video, which was posted to Facebook, was reported to police, which led to the woman’s arrest.

Most people would find the images of two middle school girls beating each other as a parent shouting at one of the girls to fight back or face being beaten disturbing.

The fight started with hair-pulling and quickly led to punches. The fight moved to the ground as one of the girls appeared to gain the upper hand.

That’s when police said a parent who was watching the fight started shouting at one of the girls.

“Get her! Fight back,” she yelled in the video.

In the video, the woman warned the girl to keep fighting or face more severe consequences.

“If you don’t, I’m going to whoop you,” she can be heard saying in the video.

The brawl goes on for several more minutes as the woman and several boys goad the girls into more fighting.

It mercifully ends when the exhausted girls are finally pulled apart.

Shelby police said someone tipped them off to the video, which they then took to Shelby Middle School. An administrator at the school identified both girls as students. Neither one was over the age of 13.

The woman was identified as Stephanie Jones, police said.

Jones has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, communicating threats and assault. Police did not say how Jones and the two girls are connected.

Officials said they would not charge the young girls involved because they told police they had been encouraged to fight.

Police said Jones posted bail immediately after being arrested. Other arrests in the case are pending.