Mom-Of-2 Hospitalized After Strangers Put Bucket Over Her Head at a Target Store for Social Media Prank | “Not Funny”

A California mom said she was the victim of a social media prank that went wrong. Lana Clay-Monaghan was shopping at a Target store in Tustin on Sunday, March 26, when a group of boys pulled the 'stranger bucket challenge' on her. The prank involves sneaking up behind total strangers and putting buckets over their heads and running away as someone films them. Four boys are believed to be behind it, according to a statement from the Tustin Police Department (TPD). "As a result of the incident, the female shopper likely fainted and was transported to a local hospital in stable condition and a police report was taken," they said. 

Lana Clay-Monaghan who is a mother of 8-month-old twins told Inside Edition when the bucket was placed over her head, she collapsed to the ground and it triggered a serious heart condition. She said she also has epilepsy and was rushed to the emergency room. “This is not funny, this is dangerous,” police told the outlet. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the TPD.

The mom claimed that the incident had a physical and psychological impact on her as well. “I keep looking over my shoulder. I’m a nervous wreck,” she told KTLA. “I cannot believe that in my community you could go to Target, be in Target maybe a mere 10 to 15 minutes and someone would find it amusing to come and strategically find a female by herself in the baby aisle and think this would be funny or laughable for likes.” The boys were seen fleeing the scene just a few seconds after putting the bucket on the woman's head. Now the new mom wants them to be held accountable and take responsibility for their actions. “This needs to be an example that families can talk about now and say, ‘Look, you see this on social media, it’s not appropriate to do that,’ and again, those individuals need to come forward and be held accountable,” she said.

The mom-of-two put out a plea on social media in hopes to find the group of boys. She said, “Please help! I was violently assaulted. For someone to stand there and deliberately, when I am incapacitated, film and run away, that’s a different kind of act." According to officials, the attack was caught on surveillance cameras, and the assailants were middle school teens. “Obviously, in this case, it can have some pretty bad consequences, but at the end of the day it’s a crime,” Lt. Ryan Co with Tustin PD said. “It’s an assault and battery on another person and we’re going to investigate it that way.”  

References:

https://www.facebook.com/tustinpolice/

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/woman-rushed-to-hospital-after-social-media-stunt-goes-wrong-target-store/

https://www.insideedition.com/california-mom-who-was-taken-to-er-says-viral-bucket-challenge-is-not-fun-and-games-80652

Cover Image Source: YouTube | ABC7