INDIANAPOLIS, IN — A dispute inside an Indianapolis children’s resale store escalated into a confrontation involving a handgun after employees told a mother that her toddler could not play with store toys.
Tamya Staten, 21, has been charged in Marion County with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and pointing a firearm at another person, a Level 6 felony.
If convicted of both offenses and given consecutive maximum sentences, she could face up to 8½ years in prison.
According to a probable-cause affidavit cited in multiple reports, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to a Once Upon a Child store on West 86th Street on July 16 after an employee activated the store’s silent holdup alarm.
Police say Staten had entered the store with her toddler while attempting to sell clothing.
During the transaction, the child reportedly climbed into a small motorized toy car inside the store.
An employee told Staten that children were not permitted to play with the toys under store policy.
Although Staten reportedly acknowledged the employee, authorities say that she allowed her child to continue playing.
When the employee addressed the policy again, police say the situation escalated.
Staten allegedly pulled a large
black handgun from her purse and placed it inside her leggings.
She athen approached an employee and poked the employee in the face while making threatening statements.
Authorities say Staten allegedly told the employee:
“We can fight about it. We can get down.”
She followed that statement by indicating that she could use the firearm.
Police say Staten subsequently pulled the handgun out again and pointed it toward employees.
Despite the confrontation, authorities say that she told her child to continue playing with the toy car and even demonstrated how the car worked.
Staten then put the firearm away, picked up her child and left the store.
Investigators reportedly obtained surveillance footage that captured the incident and Staten’s departure from the store.
According to the reports, the footage showed the confrontation as well as the vehicle leaving the area.
Investigators reportedly used the vehicle’s license plate and identification Staten had provided to the store during the clothing transaction to identify her.
The employee involved in the confrontation also reportedly identified Staten from a police lineup.
An Arrest Warrant Has Been Issued
Court records indicate that an arrest warrant has been issued for Staten.
The latest reporting available says she had not been arrested as of the time those reports were published.
The warrant reportedly carries a no-bond hold pending her initial hearing.
For parents and caregivers, situations involving firearms and escalating confrontations can create serious risks for children—even when the dispute itself does not initially involve the child.
Children should never have to become bystanders to adult conflicts.
