Baltimore TV station WMAR reported that a mother saw her son on television taking part in protests and went to confront him, slapping him. (AP) 
 
 A woman seen berating and hitting a black-clad teenager, later confirmed to be her son, has been hailed as “mom of the year” after her intervention on the streets of Baltimore was caught on video. As violence flared up across the city on Monday, the woman, who was identified as Toya Graham on Tuesday afternoon, was filmed telling her child to “take that f—— mask off.” 
 
 [I was knocked to the ground by Freddie Gray rioters, then helped to my feet] 
 
 Graham spoke to CBS News about the video, which initially went viral with little context. In the interview, the single mother of six tells the network that she intervened out of concern for her 16-year-old son’s safety. 
 
 “That’s my only son, and at the end of the day, I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray,” Graham said. “But to stand up there and vandalize police officers, that’s not justice.” 
 
 Fox Business contributor Charles Payne drew attention to the video in a tweet on Monday. (Fair warning, basically every video in this article will contain profanity.) 
 
 Mom of the year in Baltimore…my mother would have did same thing…https://t.co/vjxpD7hNwq — Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) April 28, 2015 
 
 By late Monday, videos of the incident were so widespread that Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts brought it up in an overnight news conference. 
 
 “And if you saw in one scene, you had a mother who grabbed their child who had a hood on his head and she started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed,” Batts told reporters. “I wish I had more parents who took charge of their kids tonight. I think these were youth coming out of the high school and they thought it was cute to throw cinder blocks at the police department and address it that way.” 
 
 [About that Baltimore mom…] 
 
 Baltimore’s ABC affiliate, WMAR, caught the encounter on camera but initially provided only this as an explanation: 
 
 This Baltimore mom saw her son throwing rocks at police on television. That didn’t sit well with her. The video shows the mother repeatedly striking her boy, chasing him as he tries to walk away. 
 
 The clip emerged alongside widely broadcast images of violence that dotted some sections of Baltimore on Monday afternoon and evening. 
 
 https://instagram.com/p/1_jHvQJfGC/ 
 
 As The Washington Post has reported, it doesn’t appear that the violence stemmed from organized protests over the death of Freddie Gray, who died of a severe spinal injury suffered while in police custody. His funeral was held Monday. 
 
 [A Freddie Gray primer: Who was he, how did he die, why is there so much anger?] 
 
 Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said late Monday that the day’s violence was the result of “thugs who always want to incite violence and destroy our city. Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for.” 
 
 Although the video of one mom expressing frustration over the violence may stand out as a positive moment in an increasingly grim situation, there have been others. On Tuesday morning, volunteers took to the streets to help clean up the mess left behind. 
 
 Large group of volunteers cleaning up that burnt out CVS in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/84BVzu7SWS — justin jouvenal (@jjouvenal) April 28, 2015 
 
 [This post, initially published at 8:22 a.m., has been updated to include information from a CBS interview with Toya Graham] 
 
 For live coverage of the unrest and events in Baltimore, follow The Post’s live blog here. 
 
 MORE READING: ‘Wire’ creator David Simon: Baltimore violence ‘needs to cease’ 
 
 At Freddie Gray’s funeral, outrage over way in which he died 
 
 Why didn’t #FreddieGray trend on Twitter? 
 
 Friends and neighbors remember Freddie Gray: He ‘was our family’ 
 
 As Baltimore mayor, critics say, O’Malley’s police tactics sowed distrust ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 BALTIMORE, Maryland -- A woman in Baltimore is being praised for what she did after she spotted her son taking part in the rioting in the streets of Baltimore. 
 
 A WMAR news photographer videotaped her berating her son for taking part in the violence. 
 
 The woman can be seen repeatedly slapping her son and yelling at him. The woman was reportedly watching TV when she saw her son throwing rocks at police. 
 
 The woman got the attention of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Watts. 
 
 "If you saw on one scene, you had one mother who grabbed her child who had a hood on his head and she started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed," Watts said. "I wish I had more parents that took charge of their kids out there tonight." 
 
 Fox News contributer Charles Payne called the woman "Mom of the year" in a tweet. It was retweeted dozens of times and favorited by more than 100 people. ||||| The Baltimore mother caught on video repeatedly smacking her son after catching him participating in rioting in Baltimore told CBS News that she was only concerned about protecting him. 
 
 Toya Graham CBS News 
 
 "He gave me eye contact. And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that. That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray," Toya Graham said, referencing the 25-year-old man who died after mysteriously sustaining severe spinal injuries in police custody earlier in the month. His death has sparked protests throughout the city, with tensions boiling over Monday. 
 
 Graham told CBS News she launched into action after spotting her 16-year-old son Michael wearing a hoodie and mask amid the protesters. 
 
 "At that point, I just lost it," said Graham. "I was shocked, I was angry, because you never want to see your child out there doing that." 
 
 Graham, a single mom with six children, denounced the vandalism and violence against police officers. She said rioting in Baltimore is no way to go about getting justice for Freddie Gray and that she doesn't want that life for her son. 
 
 Toya Graham lays into her son Michael after seeing him with the protesters. CBS News 
 
 "There's some days that I'll shield him in the house just so he won't go outside and I know that I can't do that for the rest of my life," said Graham. "I'm a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, know I don't play that." 
 
 It's that reputation that made her son wince the second he saw her. 
 
 "He knew he was in trouble," said Graham. "He said when 'I seen you,' he said, 'ma, my instinct was to run.'" 
 
 Graham says after she got her son home they both watched news coverage of the demonstrations and riots on television. As images of her reaction started to go viral, Graham says comments started appearing on her son's Facebook page, many in support of her. 
 
 "Friends and everybody making comments and saying you know, you shouldn't be mad at your mother, you should give her a hug," said Graham. 
 
 Graham hopes the incident will serve as a teachable moment for her son. 
 
 "And by him seeing everything what's going on I just hope, I'm not sure, but I hope that he understands the seriousness of what was going on last night." 
 
 The video has been widely circulated as people look for answers to the violence, and it even drew the attention of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. 
 
 "I wish I had more parents who took charge of their kids tonight," he said, according to CBS Baltimore. 
 
 Graham told CBS News she thinks the situation wouldn't have been as bad if there were more mothers out there monitoring their sons. But she acknowledged there are some circumstances that can prevent moms from from doing that. 
 
 "We don't know where those mothers are at, a lot of mothers have to provide for their children," said Graham. "You can talk blue in your face to your children, but at the end of the day they gonna make their own decisions. As parents we just have to follow through to make sure that's where they supposed to be at." 
 
 Commissioner Batts told reporters late Monday night that a bulk of the rioters who pelted officers with rocks and bricks, inciting a massive display of looting and vandalism across parts of West Baltimore were area high schoolers. 
 
 "These are Baltimore youthful residents, a number of them came right out of the local high schools there on the other side of Mondawmin and started engaging in this," said Batts. "I think these were youth coming out of the high school and they thought it was cute to throw cinder blocks at the police department and address it that way." 
 
 At least 20 police officers were injured in the violence and one person was critically hurt in a fire, according to authorities. Police made 235 arrests, including 34 juveniles. 
 
 The streets were calmer Tuesday as the National Guard deployed. A 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remained in effect. ||||| (CNN) The Baltimore school system's top cop and two other officers have been placed on administrative leave after the release of a cell phone video showing one of the officers slapping and kicking a young man, officials said Wednesday. 
 
 The five-second video was posted online this week. It shows the uniformed officer slapping a young man three times -- one slap loud enough to hear a pop -- and then kicking him while yelling profanities. 
 
 The incident happened Tuesday on the grounds of Reach! Partnership School in Baltimore, school officials said. 
 
 The officer seen striking the youth and a female officer standing behind him have been placed on paid administrative leave, said Karen Parks, spokeswoman for the Baltimore public school system. 
 
 The officer is under investigation for assault and misconduct, officials said. 
 
 "As a parent of a Baltimore city school student, I was appalled by what I saw," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said of the video. "The behavior that was demonstrated ... is certainly something you never want to see. ... Certainly not a school officer acting in this way, particularly with a young person." 
 
 Baltimore School Police Chief Marshall Goodwin was also placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, said Parks, describing the move as a "personnel matter." 
 
 Parks said the unidentified young man who was slapped was not a student at the school, and officials were trying to figure out whether he was enrolled in Baltimore's school system. 
 
 "His presence at the school and the series of events before and after the incident are currently under investigation," the city school system said, referring to the young man. 
 
 Lauren Geisser, an attorney for the teen and his parents, said she has documentation identifying him as a 10th grader at the school. She said he suffered face and rib injuries. The young man has not been interviewed by police, she said. 
 
 "The boy had a right to be at the school where he was an enrolled student," she said. "With respect to refusing to leave the school, the student didn't want to leave the school where he had a right to attend." 
 
 Baltimore police and state's attorney's office are handling the criminal investigation, officials said. 
 
 "I am completely appalled and disappointed by what is depicted in the video," the school system's CEO, Gregory Thornton, said in the statement. "Our school police officers are entrusted with ensuring the safety of our students and staff, and I know that most of them take this job seriously while maintaining a high level of professionalism. The behavior in the video is completely unacceptable." 
 
 Akil Hamm, acting chief of the Baltimore school police, said the "excessive force" displayed in the video was "very troubling." 
 
 Michael Davey, attorney for the officer who struck the young man, said his client was responding to a call of an intruder on school grounds. 
 
 Davey said the online video captures only a few seconds of an encounter that played out over several minutes. 
 
 The young man became belligerent and angry after the officer repeatedly asked him to leave, according to Davey, who said the earlier part of the encounter does not appear to have been captured on video. 
 
 Geisser said she had no information about her client's response. 
 
 "One would expect that police officers that are specifically charged with protecting children would exercise restraint, care and understanding when dealing with these children," she said. "Instead, these officers used their powers to inflict harm on a student who was trying to attend school lawfully." 
 
 The officer's behavior in the video has been widely criticized. 
 
 Karl Perry, the chief school supports officer, said, "I'm a parent, and I'm totally appalled at what I saw in that video." 
 
 Another man, Gary Payne, who was interviewed near the school, told CNN affiliate WJZ : "If it was my son, I would be highly upset, asking questions, wanting to know what happened prior to it. But still, nobody deserves to get ... hands put on them like that." 
 
 Baltimore school police officers not only patrol the schools but also investigate offenses, counsel students and advise school staff on security issues, according to the district's website. 
 
 According to Maryland law, school police officers have all the powers of state peace officers and receive the same academy training as city police officers, the website said. 
 
 A coalition of Baltimore activists held a news conference Wednesday to condemn the actions of the school police officer. 
 
 Thena Robinson Mock, project director of the Advancement Project's Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track, said the video was part of a "horrific pattern of ... brutality against youth of color" in the nation's schools. 
 
 "We have a problem with police in schools," she said. "We need to truly examine our approach to the role of police officers in schools. ... This is not a discipline or policing crisis. This is racial justice crisis." 
 
 Both officers in the video and the young man appear to be black. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Kurt Chirbas, Erik Ortiz and Corky Siemaszko 
 
 A young suburban Baltimore mom was shot and killed by police and her 5-year-old son was wounded Monday after an hours-long standoff at her Maryland apartment ended in gunfire. 
 
 The incident involving Korryn Shandawn Gaines became a flash point on social media Tuesday as video taken by Gaines inside her home before the shooting was shared online. 
 
 Baltimore County police said her followers encouraged her "not to comply with negotiators' requests that she surrender peacefully." 
 
 Officers opened fire after Gaines, 23, pointed a legally-purchased Mossberg 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun at them and said, "If you don't leave, I'm going to kill you." 
 
 She managed to fire two rounds, and during the exchange of gunfire, her son Kodi Gaines was struck, the Baltimore County Police Department said. The boy was taken to Johns Hopkins Children's Center and was in good condition. 
 
 It was not immediately clear if her son was hit by a shot fired by his mother or by the tactical officers who had been trying to get her to surrender. 
 
 None of the officers involved in the incident were wearing body cameras, police said. 
 
 “We are of course extremely upset at an event like this,” police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said at press conference. “We do not like to be in a position of having to use lethal force, but this was a situation where our officers exercised patience for hours and hours.” 
 
 She added: “We are very relieved the child was not seriously injured." 
 
 Police at the scene of Monday's standoff. Saliqa Khan / WBAL 
 
 Gaines was wanted on a bench warrant for failing to appear in court on charges related to previous cases of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest following a March 10 traffic stop “and numerous other traffic offences,” according to Johnson. 
 
 The mom had been pulled over because her Toyota Camry didn't have a license plate, police said. In its place was a piece of cardboard on which was written: "Any government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right to freedom." 
 
 When the officer gave her a ticket, police said, Gaines threw the citation out the window and declared that officers would have to "murder" her before she got out of the car. And when they went in to get her, Gaines resisted, police said. 
 
 Young Kodi and unidentified infant were the in the car with her at the time, police said. 
 
 The deadly standoff began at 9:20 a.m. Monday when three police officers arrived at the apartment in Randallstown to serve warrants on Gaines and 39-year-old Kareem Courtney, Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson said. 
 
 Courtney was wanted for assault, police said. 
 
 Officers repeatedly knocked on the apartment door and identified themselves as police, Johnson said. They did not receive a response, but they could hear the sounds of a man, woman and crying child from inside the apartment. 
 
 After waiting five to 10 minutes, the officers obtained a key to enter from the landlord. 
 
 When an officer opened the door, he allegedly saw Gaines sitting on the floor pointing a long gun at him and immediately retreated to the hallway and called for tactical backup. 
 
 At this point, Courtney tried to flee the apartment with a 1-year-old child but was apprehended, Johnson said. 
 
 Meanwhile, other residents were evacuated from the apartment building. 
 
 For the next several hours, officers attempted to negotiate with Gaines by telephone or by shouting to her from across the room. 
 
 Gaines, police said, was "up and down," by turns calm and excitable. But after several hours Gaines became "angry and irritated as the afternoon wore on and finally hung up on police." 
 
 At that point, police said, the tactical team brought over Gaines' parents to help negotiate. But they too could not get her to give up. 
 
 "The barricade's turning point came at about 3 p.m, when she pointed the shotgun directly at one officer visible to her through the doorway and said she was going to shoot him if officers did not leave," police said in their statement. 
 
 Police said the tactical officers saw Gaines point the shotgun at the boy several times "but are not sure if that was deliberate or incidental." 
 
 The officers involved in the deadly standoff are on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, authorities said. 
 
 Gaines, who often posted about racial issues on social media, was remembered by Black Lives Matter activists and others who said they would "say her name" — a refrain used in the deaths of black women killed during encounters with police.
– A Baltimore woman who reportedly saw a young man she knew (some speculate it's her son) on TV throwing rocks at police during city protests took matters into her own hands—literally, per WMAR. A video shows her yesterday dragging a teen sporting a face-covering sweatshirt away from the crowds, hitting him in the face, and yelling, "Take that f---ing mask off!" and "You wanna be out here doing this stuff?!" The kid skulks away with her hot on his tail, and the video—shown from various angles at Independent Journal Review—went viral on social media, with some, like Fox News contributor Charles Payne, calling her the "mom of the year," per WGN. "My mother would have done the same thing," Payne tweeted. Meanwhile, at a press conference last night, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said, per the Washington Post, "She started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed. I wish I had more parents who took charge of their kids tonight." (The Orioles COO has his own controversial take on the protests.)