A Florida mother was arrested this week after being caught on camera slapping her young son as he struggled to help her complete an Instacart delivery.
Surveillance footage captured the interaction just outside a customer’s door at a St. Augustine apartment complex. In the Ring camera footage, the mother can be heard demanding that her 6-year-old child pick up part of the delivery while hurling slurs and profanities at him. After telling the child to carry the water, she handed him a 24-pack of bottled water, stating that she was not going to hurt him.
The boy immediately struggled under the 26-pound load, pleading that it was too heavy. According to the police report, the child weighs only 49 pounds. After shouting that he could not hold it, the boy dropped the case to the ground, breaking open the packaging and sending the bottles rolling across the hallway floor.
When the boy attempted to run, the mother grabbed him by the shirt and slapped him across the face, calling him names and demanding that he get back to work and carry something else while the child cried and cradled his head.
The Instacart customer reported the violent interaction to the police the same day. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced that the mother has been charged with child abuse in connection with the May 31 incident.
In the police report, authorities noted that her actions before striking the victim created a severe imbalance, and the child was clearly punished and scolded for an action he was physically incapable of performing.
During the police investigation, the mother allegedly told officers that her son was being defiant while she was attempting to fulfill three orders at the complex. She apologized for her actions, claiming her behavior was the result of becoming overstimulated in the moment.
DISGUSTING. This vile woman was ARRESTED after security footage caught her SLAPPING and SCREAMING at a little kid while forcing him to carry heavy water during a “delivery.”
“Pick it up!” “You carry this f****** water!”
SLAP “Ow!” “I can’t hold it!”
She’s cursing,… pic.twitter.com/7B1ehrI22q
— DocumentingLibs (@HistorianUSA1) June 27, 2026
She was booked into the St. Johns County Jail and later posted a 5,000-dollar bond. She has since been prohibited from contacting or seeing her child and has been ordered to maintain a distance of at least 500 feet away from him.