TORONTO – The Baltimore woman who was captured on video slapping and scolding her son for taking part in Monday’s riots said she only wanted him to be safe.
Toya Graham said she saw her son throwing rocks at police as chaos erupted in the streets of downtown Baltimore, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“I was like in awe. It was like, ‘oh my God’ and to see my son come across the street with a rock in his hand, I think at that point I just lost it,” Graham told CBS.
READ MORE: How to talk to your kids about the rioting in Baltimore
In the video, Graham is seen dragging her son, who was dressed in black with his face covered, away from the police as she repeatedly smacks him on the head.
The mother told CBS that she would have allowed her son to skip school and go to Freddie Gray‘s funeral.
“For him to do what he was doing, it was just unacceptable,” Graham said.
Gray, 25, died of spinal injuries just days after being taken into police custody.
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