Florida Instacart shopper caught on camera slapping boy in face after he dropped items during delivery: SJCSO
Kiah Lowery, 36, is pictured in a booking photo following her arrest on a child abuse charge in St. Johns County, Fla. Image is courtesy of the St. John's County Sheriff's Office.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - A Florida woman is facing charges after a doorbell camera captured her berating and hitting a child while they were making a delivery for Instacart.
Child abuse investigation
What we know:
According to the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to a residence in St. Augustine to investigate a report of child abuse.
The complainant said that when they reviewed their Ring doorbell camera footage after receiving an Instacart grocery delivery, they saw a violent interaction between the Instacart shopper and a child accompanying her during the delivery.
Deputies analyzed the video and identified the Instacart employee as Kiah Lowery, 36, and the victim as her child.
‘Violent interaction’ caught on camera
Dig deeper:
A thud can be heard on the camera and the woman orders the child to "pick it up."
It then shows the child struggling with holding a basket of groceries, and Lowery appears frustrated, verbally scolding him.
When the child is unable to carry the basket, Lowery orders the child to carry a 24-pack of bottled water instead.
A doorbell camera captures an Instacart delivery worker chasing a child in a hallway during a grocery delivery. Image is courtesy of the St. John's County Sheriff's Office.
The child voiced the struggle with the weight of the item and dropped the case of water bottles.
That’s when the video shows Lowery chasing the child, grabbing him and slapping him in the face.
She can be heard telling him that he is "the worst."
Lowery goes on to swear at the child before telling him that he is going to carry something.
A child stands in a hallway during an Instacart grocery delivery in a screenshot from a St. Augustine doorbell camera video. Image is courtesy of the St. John's County Sheriff's Office.
SJSO Special Victims Unit, Florida Department of Children and Families, and State Attorney, Florida's 7th Circuit investigated the incident.
Lowery was arrested and charged with child abuse.
After Lowery’s release, she is ordered to have no contact with the child.
Instacart's response
What they're saying:
In a statement fo FOX 13, Instacart shared:
"The behavior captured in this video is alarming and completely unacceptable. We have zero tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper has been permanently removed from the platform. Instacart maintains strict policies prohibiting shoppers from bringing any individual without a valid shopper account on a delivery, including children. We take situations like this extremely seriously and will fully cooperate with law enforcement and the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigation."
Child welfare intervention
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet confirmed who currently has custody of the child following the no-contact order issued against Lowery. Officials also have not released information regarding whether Lowery had any prior history of child welfare complaints or police responses before this delivery incident.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, which detailed the arrest and video evidence, as well as investigative documentation from the Florida Department of Children and Families and the State Attorney for Florida's 7th Circuit.