INDIANAPOLIS — An Indy mother has been charged with several felonies after she and her daughter boarded a middle school bus earlier this month and allegedly fought an 8th-grade student, breaking the child’s nose and causing his face to swell up.

Latea Hentz, 36, told police on March 6 that she and her 17-year-old daughter had gotten onto her son’s school bus that morning to help confront an ongoing bullying situation. She is now charged with criminal confinement, battery, intimidation and criminal trespassing.

While Hentz made no mention to police of her being involved in a fight on the bus, security cameras and a viral video captured by someone else on the bus showed Hentz and her daughter punching an 8th grader multiple times.

Hentz can also be heard making threats against the other children on the bus, including “I’m going to tear this up,” “I’m tired of you b***h a** kids” and “Anybody want to get active?” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the mother not only punched the victim, but appeared to actively instigate the conflict.

“When parents make the decision to get on a school bus, when they have no business being on a school bus, you can either serve as a peace keeper or make the situation 20-30 times worse,” Mears said.

Security footage, viral video

Court documents detail how Warren Township School police were called just before 9 a.m. to the intersection of E. 35th Street and N. Richardt Avenue for a fight on a school bus. The police report for the incident states several video cameras on the bus captured the altercation.

Footage reportedly shows the bus stop on E. 35th Street and the doors open. At this point, Hentz’s 17-year-old daughter is seen boarding the bus with her younger brother. A few seconds later, Hentz can be seen walking onto the bus as well.

The bus driver is heard saying “no parents on the bus,” but Hentz allegedly replied by saying she is getting on the bus and that the driver can call the police. Hentz’s daughter and son then reportedly walked over to an 8th grader and the son “immediately started fighting.”

Hentz is then seen walking down the aisle toward the fight while yelling “beat his a**, beat his a**.” The 36-year-old is then seen throwing several punches at the student and pulling his hair, while her two children continue to beat up the 8th grader.

During the fight, Hentz and her daughter can be heard yelling various threats at the other children on the school bus.

“I’m going to tear this up, I’m tired of you b***h a** kids,” Hentz is quoted as saying. “Any body want to get active?”

A video shared to Facebook and viewed hundreds of thousands of times captured the incident after the two young students began fighting. In it, Hentz and her daughter are seen throwing many punches at the young student.

“Hey, don’t jump him,” a bystander can be heard saying to them. “Why are you jumping him?”

The viral video ends before Hentz’s family leaves the school bus, but police said security footage showed them getting off shortly after the fight. Hentz’s son can reportedly be seen shaking hands with students as he walks down the aisle off the bus. Minutes later, police arrived.

Police investigation, interviews

Upon arrival, officers first spoke with Hentz about the incident at hand. The mother told police that her 13-year-old son had not been acting like himself lately due to an “ongoing bullying situation.” Her son later told officers the school was aware of the bullying but had done nothing to stop it.

Hentz reportedly admitted to boarding the bus with her 17-year-old daughter to try and address the situation, as her son said he had been slapped across the face the day before. The woman said her son and a 14-year-old boy then got into a fight, but never said anything about her and her daughter being involved in the altercation. The 17-year-old also did not mention a fight.

Officers then spoke with the 14-year-old boy involved in the fight. Police noted the boy had swelling in his left eye and a laceration on his face. The boy said earlier that morning two women had gotten on the bus and started hitting him in the face while screaming. He told police that he sometimes jokes with Hentz’s 13-year-old son but that nothing physical ever happened.

Police said the boy was later taken to Riley Children’s Hospital for treatment. There, it was determined that his nose was fractured, he had bruising and that his eye was injured.

The 14-year-old boy’s mother later told police that her son was half-Mexican and had recently been subjected to racist jokes about Immigrations and Customs Enforcement – or ICE. She said on March 6, her son had called her and claimed “he had been jumped by a mom and her kids.”

Officers later spoke with the bus driver who had originally called police to report the fight. She told police that, on the day before the fight, the two boys had reported potential bullying on the bus.

Hentz’s son reportedly told the driver that he had been slapped by an 8th grade student. The 14-year-old boy then told the driver that Hentz’s son had been making racist comments. The driver said she reported the incident to the school administration.

Criminal charges filed

An initial police report taken by Warren Township Schools police stated that officers had been called for a “simple assault disturbance” and trespassing. The media narrative written in the police report said: “Parent and sister board brother’s school bus to fight.”

The report stated that a 36-year-old woman from Indianapolis had been preliminarily charged with misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct, intimidation and trespassing. On Tuesday, that woman was identified as Hentz and official, more serious charges were filed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Charging documents filed Tuesday in Marion Superior Court 29 state that Hentz has been charged with:

• Criminal Confinement – Level 4 Felony
• Battery Resulting in Moderate Injury – Level 6 Felony
• Intimidation – Level 6 Felony
• Criminal Trespass – Level 6 Felony

The charging order also states that a stay-away order has been filed against Hentz that makes it illegal for her to contact the 14-year-old victim or visit any property or buildings owned by Warren Township schools.

“For us as adults we’re supposed to create a safe environment for kids and kids should feel safe on a school bus,” Mears said. “That was taken away from a lot of kids based of what is alleged to have occurred.”

Online court records show that an initial hearing has not yet been scheduled in Hentz’s case and that a judge has not yet been assigned.

According to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect’s 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son are also facing possible criminal charges in relation to the fight. This investigation remains ongoing.

Mears said this is a case that should send a message to parents everywhere.

“Adults need to be adults,” he said. “If there’s a conflict between students, that’s something that can be resolved through kids and if parents need to be involved the resolution is going to administrators. It’s not taking matters into your own hands and engaging in violence.”