TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa woman was arrested for inciting the Astro Skate riot in May that brought between 400 and 500 people to the business' parking lot and resulted in 26 arrests, authorities said.
Stephanie Pedroso, 36, was arrested on unlawful use of a two-way communications device, inciting a riot and driving with a suspended or revoked license, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a press conference Thursday morning.
Deputies also arrested her husband, James Knight II, 38, on an unrelated charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license.
The incident began when Astro Skate reportedly canceled a private 18th birthday event at the rink for Pedroso's daughter after staff learned it was going to be a larger event than they could accommodate. The sheriff's office said she had failed to hire an off-duty deputy for the event, which is required at Astro Skate and a breach of the contract Pedroso signed.
Deputies said the group was refunded their money. Astro Skate's owner Chris Maganias told 10 Tampa Bay that not only did she fail to hire security but also broke contract rules by reselling tickets and posting unauthorized advertisements portraying something other than a kids' party.
"The kind of stuff with booty contest, and all that nonsense, that's not for us, so we were within our rights to cancel her party and that's what we did," Maganias explained.
"She came in, flipped out, cussed and screamed and posted nonsense about [coming] to the skating rink the next night," he continued.
Pedroso started a live video on her daughter's Instagram, "asking people to come and riot at the business and confront law enforcement."
"Using social media to weaponize our youth is absolutely deplorable," said Chronister at the press conference. "As a parent, I cannot fathom what went through this woman's mind when she put lives at risk to provoke this mayhem."
The sheriff's office said Pedroso could be heard making multiple violent and vulgar statements, as well as using racial slurs. Chronister also said she was offering to pay people to come to the fight.
“For y’all, if y’all still go up there, tear the f*** out of them. I’ve got some money for y’all, and I’ll pay y’all a**," Pedroso allegedly said in the live video.
The sheriff said 500 people showed up at the Astro Skate and nearby businesses and that deputies issued multiple warnings to the crowd, informing them that they were trespassing and needed to leave.
"Despite this, the crowd continued fighting, damaging businesses, stealing, and disrupting business operations," the sheriff's office said in an earlier statement.
Deputies arrested 23 juveniles and three adults for the escalation of chaos, Chronister said Thursday.
A 16-year-old girl was reportedly thrown into the glass panel of a local barber shop, causing more than $1,200 worth of damages to the shop and injuring the girl, according to Chronister.
The sheriff also reported $500 in damages were done to the 7-Eleven across the street. Publix and the 1916 Irish Pub had to close due to the large crowd, he continued. Five local businesses sustained damage from the riot.
Chronister said that it took deputies nearly six hours to disperse the crowd.
"I want to be clear: Using social media to encourage people to riot and destroy businesses is completely unacceptable, and we will not tolerate that here in Hillsborough County," Chronister said. "This is a stark reminder of how quickly situations can spiral out of control and shows the importance of responsible behavior and the consequences of inciting violence."
In 2021, the Florida legislature approved stricter penalties for people found guilty of inciting a riot, a law recently upheld by the state supreme court. If convicted, Pedroso faces up to give years in prison.
"Make no mistake, this case is not about free speech. This case is not about peaceful protesters. This case is about rioters and in Hillsborough County, we will prosecute rioters," Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.
Weeks after the incident, Astro Skate says their business is starting to get back to normal and they are thankful the investigation led to arrests.