‘Get the… Off My Son!’: Florida Woman Charged After Video Shows Her Kicking Youth Football Player on Opposing Team. But She Claims It Was Justified
Body camera footage of a Florida woman’s struggle with officers is going viral after deputies say she kicked a child, but then she claims in the video she had no choice because “the kid hit me” first.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office posted the video on Facebook on Tuesday. Deputies arrested Renee Lynn Lambert, 34, on suspicion of cruelty to a child without great bodily harm and resisting an officer.
Deputies were called to the youth football game at Brooks Park in Fort Myers on Saturday after they “became aware of a large brawl located in the middle of the field,” an arrest report obtained by NBC said.
NBC reports parents ran onto the field to intervene, and a witness reported seeing a woman repeatedly kicking a child.
WINK reports the video shows a mother throwing punches and even kicking a 13-year-old boy on the opposing team. Clips of the encounter circulating on social media shows the boy was lying on the turf as he was being kicked.
Deputies said that video footage clearly captured her actions, which raised concerns among bystanders.
NBC reports Lambert claimed she was hit first, and she asked deputies why they were questioning her and not the offending player.
“So are you mad at them for hitting me?” she asked the deputies.
“I’m mad at the adult for attacking a kid,” the deputy replied. “Stop, you’re detained right now.”
“No, I’m not. Goodbye.”
The video shows Lambert begin to struggle with deputies while wearing a football jersey and what appears to be shoulder pads.
“Get your hands off me,” she said. “I’m the one who got hit.”
FOX 5 reports Lambert claimed that one of the players, “No. 9,” hit her with a helmet, which prompted her to retaliate.
“So, where’s No. 9? Go get No. 9,” Lambert said as she fought deputies.
Eventually, the video shows Lambert being led away in handcuffs.
“She’s detained because they said you hit a kid,” the deputy said.
“And the kid hit me!” Lambert replied.
Deputies confirmed on Facebook that the player never hit Lambert.
People on Facebook agreed that Lambert’s actions were inappropriate.
NBC reports this isn’t the first time Lambert has become aggressive towards a young player. One witness shared a video of her appearing to yell at a player to “get the f–k off my son.”
“Someone’s mom acting like that,” Eric Luley wrote.
“The parents be the main ones escalating these moments, chill, it’s a little league game, it’s not that serious lol,” Kyle Lesley added.
“Y’all, it’s YOUTH FOOTBALL lol just let the kids play, coaches coach, and refs ref lol,” Ronnie Coolbaugh said.
“Some parents don’t grow up,” Kami Santos said.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told WZVN in Naples that “it’s sad” such violence occurred at a youth football game.
“We need to have law and order. We need to protect everyone,” Marceno said. “As sheriff, I’m not going to tolerate it.”
In a statement to WZVN, Jose Davila, president of Southwest Florida Panthers Youth Football, addressed the situation.
“One moment does not define the character, values, or integrity of the programs involved,” Davila said. “We want to be very clear, one bad apple does not define who the Fort Myers Falcons are.”