Police Surprise Abusive Grandmother After Strangers at a Bus Stop Intervened to Save Her 5-Year-Old

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]And were you guys like screaming or anything after?

[00:00:15]Yeah.

[00:00:20]A school bus, a 5-year-old boy, and a grandmother who thought nobody was watching.

[00:00:25]On May 10th, 2023, three strangers were sitting in their cars at a bus stop when they saw something that made every single one of them get out of their vehicles. They didn't know each other.

[00:00:36]They didn't know the family. But what they witnessed in broad daylight in front of an entire neighborhood was something none of them could ignore.

[00:00:43]They grabbed the child. They called for help, and when officers arrived, what that little boy told them in private changed everything. This is Coden Cam.

[00:00:52]Hit subscribe and drop a like. Let's get into it.

[00:01:07]What are you saying, man?

[00:01:08]I have the little boy Okay.

[00:01:16]Look at him. There's not a bruise on him. I did I want to smack him here, hit his head. They're all grown up between and he wants to put me in jail my daughter all the time. He's in prison and he's on his phone all the time. All right.

[00:01:29]So, uh I have legal custody of the children. That's fine. They're all under counseling. Okay. This one has behavioral problems.

[00:01:38]She comes in after like she comes in after like I did smack him, but he starts hollering. She starts hollering.

[00:01:44]And this lady says the same So, everybody is like so Okay.

[00:01:49]I'm going to examine the kids.

[00:01:51]Before officers could even ask a single question, the grandmother started talking.

[00:01:56]She admitted she smacked him. She said he was being dramatic. She pointed to his face and said there wasn't a bruise on him. She told officers about her daughter, about the neighbors, about everyone she believed was against her all in one breath without stopping. But in the middle of everything she said, one sentence stood out.

[00:02:14]I did smack him. I went to hit his head.

[00:02:17]Not a slip, not a misquote. She said it herself on camera before anyone accused her of anything.

[00:02:23]The bus pulled up. She's got three The little guy in the front seat and two granddaughters.

[00:02:28]Two kids, one was sitting over here already, the other one was in the car.

[00:02:31]The bus pulled up and all the one got out, the two got on the bus. Little man didn't want to get out of the car.

[00:02:36]She opened the passenger door on this side, he was on the back right side.

[00:02:40]Come on, come on, yelling and screaming at him. She walked around, grabbed the kid, jerked him out the car, grabbed his hair, started beating him in the head.

[00:02:45]This lady jumped out yelling and screaming, "Stop hitting him, stop hitting him." I ran over to yell at her.

[00:02:50]And all of a sudden she just went crazy.

[00:02:52]Crazy.

[00:02:54]Little kid is scared. Go out there. Talk to him. Talk to Uh I can't.

[00:02:59]Hey buddy.

[00:03:00]You okay?

[00:03:02]Officer spoke to the 5-year-old privately. The audio was muted, standard protocol to protect a child's statement.

[00:03:09]But the police report captured every word.

[00:03:12]He told officers his grandmother had pulled his hair and punched him in the head because he refused to get on the school bus. He also told them something that stopped the investigation cold. She hits him like this every single day.

[00:03:25]So, what happened with the child?

[00:03:30]Like what led up to it? Like cuz cuz Russell is on the bus right now. I got in the car so much. Hurry up, hurry up.

[00:03:34]The bus waiting and he didn't do the chore. And I said, "Russell, come on, come on." He got out of the car. He got out of the car.

[00:03:40]And I went to grab him. So, I said, "Russell, come on." And I went to slap him on the shoulder and he ducked.

[00:03:47]All right. The grandmother told officers her version. She said she was just trying to get him to school. The bus was waiting. She was rushing. She grabbed his shoulder just a tap. She said to move things along.

[00:03:58]That was her story and she was sticking to it. But three people parked within 30 ft of her had already told officers something completely different.

[00:04:08]You okay?

[00:04:11]You need a hug?

[00:04:13]Come here.

[00:04:15]It's all right.

[00:04:16]We'll figure it out, okay?

[00:04:21]Don't worry about it.

[00:04:22]After everything, after the hitting, after the strangers intervening, after the officers arriving, one deputy knelt down next to the little boy.

[00:04:30]You okay? You need a hug? Come here.

[00:04:32]It's all right. We'll figure it out.

[00:04:34]Don't worry about it. 5 years old, standing at a bus stop, surrounded by people he didn't know, and still he held it together.

[00:04:42]Was the guy like screaming or anything after?

[00:04:45]The police comes out screaming.

[00:04:51]As I was driving down the bus, and she comes out screaming.

[00:04:58]Yeah. The little one fell asleep. I'm always tired.

[00:05:03]Additional officers arrived and began collecting statements. One by one, the people who had been parked at that bus stop that morning stepped forward.

[00:05:11]Four witnesses, four separate accounts, four people who had no connection to each other and no reason to lie.

[00:05:18]The investigation was no longer about what the grandmother claimed. It was about what everyone else saw.

[00:05:24]She's got um the little man and two other kids.

[00:05:27]She's got all three of her grandkids.

[00:05:29]The uh middle one she got out and sit with my grandson and the rest of them, you know, like they do on the driver.

[00:05:35]Uh-huh. The older one stayed in the car.

[00:05:38]Bus come, the older one got out, this one got up, they all got on the bus and uh bus was here.

[00:05:44]She's yelling, "Get out, get out, get out." And then all of a sudden I heard the door slam. So, I jumped out and I started walking that way and I hear her screaming and yelling, cursing at the kid. She opened the passenger door on the right side, brought the kid out, whacked him on his butt three or four times, and then grabbed his hair and started smacking the [ __ ] out of him in the face.

[00:06:02]All three of us just jumped out, started yelling and screaming, "Hey, mind your own business." We grabbed the kid. She's trying to get the kid. "That's my kid.

[00:06:08]Mind your own business. You're all this and that." We're like, "You're going to jail." "I ain't going nowhere. You're all a bunch of idiots and I do what I want. They're my kids." We put him in the car because he was scared. She's trying to get to the car to get to the kid. We're like, "Whoa." She's like, "That's my kid.

[00:06:22]"Ma'am, calm down."

[00:06:24]The first witness had been parked watching the whole thing unfold. He described it step-by-step. The grandmother yelling for the boy to get out of the car, the door slamming, her pulling him out, hitting him on the backside three or four times.

[00:06:37]Then grabbing his hair and smacking him in the face while he tried to get away.

[00:06:41]All three of them jumped out of their cars at the same time. She screamed at them, told them to mind their own business, called them idiots, said they're her kids and she'll do what she wants.

[00:06:52]But they didn't move. They stood between her and that little boy until officers arrived.

[00:06:58]Yeah, I told you what happened.

[00:07:00]I know, but there's a problem. Three different people are saying one thing and you're saying that's what we have reported and people are saying one thing.

[00:07:08]And you're saying the other.

[00:07:09]He's running around.

[00:07:11]I had to get him on the bus.

[00:07:13]I would have known I would How often have you Have we been in here at your guys' house for an appointment for this?

[00:07:18]No.

[00:07:19]But has DCF ever been involved with Yes.

[00:07:23]Because of the other >> you personally No.

[00:07:26]So, how do you handle it? Right now because This was Okay. My next question is you have to be careful if you hit your child in the head or anything.

[00:07:35]When you're a parent or a guardian of a child, corporal punishment is 100% legal. You're able to discipline and it's I understand But it can't be it can't be excessive. It was not excessive. Let me talk. Let me talk. It was not excessive.

[00:07:49]Let me talk. The dog is overwhelmed and Well, this is overwhelming to me. This is overwhelming to me. Let me I I'm sorry. It is overwhelming. This is overwhelming.

[00:07:55]I said let me talk.

[00:07:57]That's 100% legal. When it gets to the point where a child has injuries which from what I saw there I didn't see any injuries. But when we have four people Who set them up including the saying that there was physical abuse past that point of corporal punishment.

[00:08:21]I know it's not an ideal I know but Once everybody says that What am I what am I supposed to do when I have four people I don't know but it doesn't mean that you should do so.

[00:08:29]An officer sat down with the grandmother and walked her through the problem calmly, clearly, and without flinching.

[00:08:35]Four people were saying one thing, she was saying another, including the child himself.

[00:08:40]She pushed back. She said corporal punishment was legal. The officer agreed.

[00:08:45]You're 100% right. A parent can use physical discipline, but it cannot be excessive.

[00:08:51]And when I have four people including that child telling me what happened, what am I supposed to do?

[00:08:57]She didn't have an answer for that.

[00:09:00]I know her. I used to work with her daughter. She's another one. You guys all know her daughter, too. They're out there damn months.

[00:09:05]Um she beats these kids all the time.

[00:09:07]Every day at this bus stop she's cursing, screaming, and she can't handle it.

[00:09:11]It's ridiculous. You see if there's supposed to be involved yet nothing's getting done. Right.

[00:09:16]>> These poor kids are suffering.

[00:09:17]There's no food in the house. There's [ __ ] all over the stairs. They even have dogs. There's [ __ ] everywhere. It's crazy. It's ridiculous.

[00:09:25]So this morning I said, "Yo, I'm done.

[00:09:27]You're not going to do this [ __ ] no more."

[00:09:29]So when she started beating that kid like that, you know, I watched her beat him a bunch of times on his butt, but you know, this is crazy. Okay. You grabbing hair and pulling him.

[00:09:36]>> How old is he? 5 years old. He's sitting in the front seat right there. Yeah, I can see him.

[00:09:39]>> His name is He's a good little kid, but he's so scared. It's ridiculous.

[00:09:44]One witness had known this family for years. She used to work with the grandmother's daughter, and she had been watching this happen at this bus stop for a long time.

[00:09:53]She told officers there was no food in the house, eight or nine dogs living in filth, the grandmother cursing and screaming at the kids every single morning.

[00:10:02]DCF was supposedly involved, but nothing was ever done.

[00:10:06]This morning I said, "I'm done. You're not going through this anymore."

[00:10:09]That was the moment she decided today was different. Today she wasn't going to just watch.

[00:10:15]It's very obvious.

[00:10:16]That kid is scared.

[00:10:18]He was scared.

[00:10:19]Look at all the junk that's piled up.

[00:10:20]No, he's not scared of He's not scared of that.

[00:10:23]He's scared of you.

[00:10:26]And for him to say that this kind of stuff happens every day It doesn't happen every day. I can promise you one thing. You've been doing this for a long time. I promise you something.

[00:10:34]The moment I determine there was abuse further than corporal punishment, you're going to get charged with everything I possibly can charge you with, because I'm not going to mess around with somebody doing that.

[00:10:46]>> I don't do that. I'm just sitting I'm just letting you know. I don't want you to be under the impression that you're going to You're going to get away with something here. I'm not under the impression I am. I have a good life.

[00:10:56]The deputy turned to the grandmother and delivered one of the most direct statements caught on body cam this year.

[00:11:02]"He's not scared of that. He's scared of you."

[00:11:05]Then he made her a promise.

[00:11:07]"The moment I determine there was abuse beyond legal punishment, I'm charging you with everything I possibly can. I'm not going to mess around with somebody doing this.

[00:11:16]I just want you to know you are not going to get away with something here."

[00:11:20]She stared back at him, said nothing.

[00:11:23]I treated adopted all three.

[00:11:25]I don't make them walk home, Mom. Come on, you're the grandma. I adopted my grandson. Why do you have to put torture on these kids all the time?

[00:11:32]Does she someone else at home that watches the kids too or is it just them?

[00:11:37]Half the time she don't even come to the bus stop in the afternoon. She's sleeping on the couch and or in the salon. It's crazy.

[00:11:43]It's ridiculous. Like this kids got to go to school.

[00:11:47]So when she grabbed him by the hair and started hitting him, um like >> The lady up there on the thing?

[00:11:53]Her car is over there. She was at pulling up to the stop sign as it happened. She screamed, I screamed and and then she jumped out. All three of us ran over. We grabbed the kid right away.

[00:12:02]Was it an open hand or closed hand?

[00:12:05]Smacking him on his butt, it was open hands. When she started it in in his head, she grabbed his hair and she pulled his hair and he was trying to get away. She smacked him and then she closed her hand. And that's when I grabbed we grabbed the kid. I was like, "Yo, this is enough now. This is ridiculous."

[00:12:19]And then she starts yelling, "No, your kids in the crazy doing a junkie this and Come on, lady. You're out of your damn mind."

[00:12:25]All right. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time. The third witness filled in the final piece.

[00:12:31]She had been at the stop sign when it happened. Never came that way. She was specifically trying to avoid the school bus that morning. She saw the grandmother grab the boy by his shirt and smack him in the head repeatedly, three, four times. Hard enough that she could tell from inside her car. She jumped out immediately.

[00:12:48]Spanking is one thing, but she had a closed fist and she was just swinging.

[00:12:53]That detail, closed fist, would become the legal turning point of the entire case.

[00:12:58]You want a sticker?

[00:13:00]Yeah.

[00:13:01]I want this one. You want a sticker too?

[00:13:04]Here you go, buddy. Thank you for being so brave.

[00:13:08]When officers finished taking the boy's statement, a deputy handed him a sticker. Thank you for being so brave.

[00:13:15]Five years old and braver than most adults in that parking lot that morning.

[00:13:20]So you were witness to this as well?

[00:13:22]>> Yes, I'm in the black car at the stop sign. Okay. What's What's name?

[00:13:26]Okay. Um You're in that Hyundai? Right. Okay, and then they're in the Nissan? Correct.

[00:13:33]So, I pulled in and I never come this way. I was looking for a specific house about nuisance motorcyclists cuz I'm going to get you guys a ticket.

[00:13:41]Like I came this way and I'm stopping the school bus will stop letting kids on.

[00:13:45]And I just see her with a little boy on my side of the car by the rear passenger.

[00:13:51]And she had grabbed him by his shirt and was smacking him in the head repeatedly, like three or four times. I see this gentleman in front of her yelling at her to knock it the [ __ ] off.

[00:14:01]I jump out of my car. I'm yelling at her. She's like, "I didn't leave a mark on him, whatever."

[00:14:07]You're smacking that poor innocent kid like that was moving. She was hitting him so hard in his head.

[00:14:13]Not on his ass, you know, like a spanking. She was beating that kid in the head.

[00:14:19]Okay.

[00:14:20]And you're not familiar with this family?

[00:14:22]>> no I don't even know her. I don't know cuz I never come this way specifically to avoid the school bus.

[00:14:28]Got you. All right. Thanks for your help.

[00:14:29]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:14:31]The fourth witness had been driving past when she saw it happen. She never came that route, pure coincidence that she was there at all. She watched the grandmother grab the boy by his shirt and hit him in the head three or four times. She saw the man already confronting her. She jumped out of her car. The grandmother's response?

[00:14:49]"I didn't leave a mark on him." As if that was the standard. As if the absence of a visible bruise was proof that nothing wrong had happened.

[00:14:57]You're smacking a little kid that hard in the head, that's not a spanking. She was beating that kid.

[00:15:03]So, are you able to tell me what happened, what you saw? Um I was sitting in my car. All the kids were piling up on the bus and then uh Was the car parked here? Yes, ma'am. Um sorry. It's okay. You're good. You're good. Yeah. Um and he didn't want to get on the bus. He's done it before. It's never gotten to this point. He's gotten on crying, but it never got to a beating point that I've seen.

[00:15:28]Uh I've seen her try to like pry him out of the car, but not strike him the way she did. Spanking I spank my kids when they need this one.

[00:15:37]That's one thing. But hitting, she had a closed fist, had him on the side of the car, and was just swinging. Were Was she landing any blows?

[00:15:46]>> I saw him get hit once in the head, and that's when I got out. So I don't know what In the process I I took out I had my babies in the car. I had to make sure they're okay. So I had to I got out, and that's when they were already on their way over there, and I just So who got over there first? Which adult got over there?

[00:16:05]>> She, I believe, did. And then who got >> got there at the same time, cuz she was at the stop sign. Um but I just I I couldn't I couldn't let that go.

[00:16:15]Yeah. Spanking's one thing.

[00:16:18]Making a fist >> So yeah, so you just witnessed one actual blow.

[00:16:22]>> Yes. With a closed fist.

[00:16:24]>> Yes. I saw the the spanking and the blow. That was it.

[00:16:27]>> Okay.

[00:16:28]All right. If you have your driver's license, we'll grab your phone number, and then you guys can get out of here.

[00:16:31]We'll we'll take him. Thank you.

[00:16:34]The last witness had her own young children in the back seat when she saw what was happening. She had to check they were okay before she got out. She saw the closed fist. She saw where the blow landed the side of his head.

[00:16:47]Spanking is one thing. A closed fist is something else entirely.

[00:16:51]She witnessed one confirmed blow with a closed fist, directly to the head of a 5-year-old boy. She got out of the car anyway.

[00:17:00]All right. Listen.

[00:17:04]Oh, this is hot here, too.

[00:17:05]I want to ask you some more Come come over here.

[00:17:08]I want to ask you some more questions.

[00:17:11]What's your name? Debbie Olson. All right. I'm going to read you your rights just because everything going on here, okay? And I want to ask you some questions that pertain to this.

[00:17:19]You have the right to remain silent.

[00:17:20]Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to have an attorney with you prior to, during, or after any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney and desire one, the court will appoint one for you. You may stop answering at any time by refusing to answer further or by requesting to consult with your attorney. Do you understand each of these rights I explained? So, what are you Are you charging us with something right now?

[00:17:38]>> understand these rights I explained?

[00:17:39]Yes, but I'm asking a question right now. Let me ask you Let me ask you this other question. With these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to me? I just want to know if I'm getting charged with something.

[00:17:47]>> I will explain it to you. I need you to answer these questions. I thought I had the right to ask questions first.

[00:17:51]With the I'm not going to talk to you unless you answer these questions. With these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to me?

[00:17:59]Not if I'm getting charged with something. Okay. At this point, you are being placed under arrest.

[00:18:02]>> Okay, I will talk to you. I will talk to you. Turn around. Turn around. Turn around. No, I will talk to you.

[00:18:06]>> Turn around. Turn around. I listen, I will talk to you. Turn around. Do not pull away.

[00:18:11]Turn around.

[00:18:12]Okay, and by your right arm.

[00:18:14]Okay. I got you.

[00:18:18]Okay, and get your like right arm will be a little bit easier.

[00:18:20]>> arthritis in my fingers here. Yep.

[00:18:23]And then my left arm is kind of just We're going to use two pairs so you have a little bit more room.

[00:18:31]>> Actually, are you Your arms are able to do like that.

[00:18:34]That's fine.

[00:18:39]All right, why can't I ask my question that way? I don't understand. Because you you refuse to answer my question.

[00:18:44]>> I said I just want to know if I'm charged. I will answer your question.

[00:18:47]You are. You are being charged.

[00:18:50]The reason being is we have What now? I'm sorry, I don't We have four people, including the child, saying that you you physically closed You closed your fist.

[00:19:00]>> I did not close my fist.

[00:19:01]>> explain it to you or no? I didn't, sir.

[00:19:03]I didn't.

[00:19:04]>> zero tolerance for this kind of [ __ ] All right, put your hands together.

[00:19:08]All right, this poor kid This poor kid, they're under counseling and I explained that to you. All right.

[00:19:14]You are you are a a sorry excuse for a grandmother.

[00:19:18]You sure are. You have no idea. You sure are.

[00:19:22]You're right, I don't. And I quite frankly don't want to I don't want to know the rest. No, you don't. All right, we'll we'll figure that out.

[00:19:49]We'll we'll get your keys and we'll get everything on you.

[00:19:52]Just my purse. Just your sandals, you don't have anything on your person?

[00:19:55]No. Where are your car keys at?

[00:19:57]They're in in my pocket over there. In your pocketbook? Yeah. You have a phone in your pocketbook? Yes.

[00:20:02]>> And where's your car?

[00:20:05]Wait, how did I How do you get in here?

[00:20:07]How do I get in here?

[00:20:08]How do you get in? Yeah, well all right, come back out and walk.

[00:20:13]Officers brought the grandmother aside and read her Miranda rights. She immediately asked if she was being charged. The officer told her to answer the question first, was she willing to talk?

[00:20:23]She refused, said she wouldn't speak until she knew if she was being charged.

[00:20:28]The officer's response was immediate. At this point, you are being placed under arrest. She reversed immediately, said she would talk, said they were past that now.

[00:20:38]They were. Officers placed her in handcuffs, two pairs. Her arms couldn't reach behind her back with just one.

[00:20:44]As they processed her, the deputy looked at her one final time.

[00:20:48]You are a sorry excuse for a grandmother.

[00:20:51]She told him he had no idea. You're right, he said. I don't, and I quite frankly don't want to.

[00:21:00]Hey Jenkins.

[00:21:01]Can you uh search her purse? I got your bag, all right?

[00:21:05]You have a good day. We're going to get your bag and take you to school. You got to go to school. You have gloves on your underwear in here. Real smart, right?

[00:21:14]Talk to you later, buddy.

[00:21:15]All right, just face the car.

[00:21:17]You'll pay, babe. You'll pay, baby. We know what a fool you are, boy. I'm talking to >> exactly. You have a 6-year-old little boy that that you need to make a positive impact on, and that talking is not really working.

[00:21:28]>> is what he said. It doesn't matter. Go stand over there because I don't want to do this in front of your grandson.

[00:21:34]But the more I think you just did it, ma'am. He's the one that just came over speaking all this stupid stuff.

[00:21:40]He just started on me.

[00:21:48]Your pockets? No.

[00:21:51]You have underwear on?

[00:21:52]Yes.

[00:21:59]Can you keep for me?

[00:22:03]I have a bladder infection.

[00:22:27]Okay, well, I'm going to do it.

[00:22:29]All right, you're going to go You're going to go with your butt first and just sit in and then swing your legs in, okay?

[00:22:38]Cops, I can't do it. Hold on. Yep. Hold on.

[00:22:41]I don't I can't do this.

[00:22:44]Wait a minute.

[00:22:45]Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

[00:22:48]I can't get in it. I I I don't You're almost in. Just swing your legs in.

[00:22:51]My legs don't move right. Hold on.

[00:22:54]Hold on.

[00:22:54]Hold on.

[00:22:55]There you go.

[00:22:59]All right.

[00:23:00]You're all set?

[00:23:01]Do you just on your hands? Is that what you do?

[00:23:04]Yeah. Okay. You can try to get them out from underneath you or >> I really can't. Or you can sit longways.

[00:23:09]It's up to you.

[00:23:11]All right.

[00:23:13]There you go. All right.

[00:23:15]It was determined that the grandmother had intentionally struck the child in a way that could reasonably be expected to cause physical injury. Hitting a child in the head with a closed fist was deemed excessive and beyond the legal limits of physical discipline. She was charged with child abuse.

[00:23:31]The Department of Children and Families was notified. Temporary custody of the 5-year-old boy was transferred to the state while the investigation continued.

[00:23:40]Three strangers who had no reason to get involved did. A woman who had watched this happen every morning at a bus stop finally decided enough was enough. A driver who never came that route happened to turn down the wrong street at the right moment. And a little boy who got hit in the head on the way to school finally had four adults standing between him and the person who was supposed to protect him. At Codecam, we follow the footage all the way to the truth. And sometimes the truth is this.

[00:24:06]The people who step up for a child they don't even know are the ones who change everything. If this case moved, you drop a like and leave your verdict in the comments. Should she face additional charges given what the boy said happens every single day?

[00:24:20]Subscribe to Codecam. Every week we follow the body cam all the way to the truth. The camera doesn't lie. The digital footprint never forgets. And Codecam never stops auditing.