The woman who witnessed the collapse of a little girl in a Walmart store has defended the child’s behavior, claiming she was scared because she couldn’t find her family.
Amber Gregory, a mother, was seen in the now-viral footage intervening as shocked onlookers filmed the young girl hurling items around the store without a parent or guardian in sight.
Gregory was seen wearing a black shirt as he approached the girl and told onlookers: ‘Don’t record her, you don’t know what she’s going through! Don’t do that to a little girl.’
The quick-thinking woman told me TMZ The outburst reminded her of traits she sees in her own neurodivergent child — and criticized those who picked up their phones to record the incident, claiming no one else tried to help find the girl’s family.
Gregory believes the little girl has the same problems as her child and was unable to communicate that she needed help.
She added that people wrongly accused the child of being a “spoiled brat” when she was probably scared.
The heartbroken mother added that onlookers were more concerned about the drama of the moment and capturing it on camera than the child’s welfare.
Amber addressed those who wrote hateful things about the distressed girl and revealed what the video did not show.
Amber Gregory (pictured) tried to defend the girl before revealing the true reason behind the outburst
The little girl seemed excited as she stomped on the groceries she threw on the ground
She said the girl “tried to hurt herself” using broken glass from the juice bottles she saw breaking at the end of the video.
The tantrum lasted about 45 minutes to an hour before her parents showed up to pick her up and the police were called.
Amber claims the parent had to rush the child out of the store in front of the curious crowd.
In the clip seen by millions, the young girl was seen breaking food packaging and bottles.
Stunned bystanders and Walmart employees watched the epic meltdown, before one person – later identified as Amber – rushed to her aid.
Two women were seen trying to physically restrain the girl, but when the child went to the ground and started kicking, they gave up.
After getting back up, the girl continued to stomp and throw items ranging from dairy products to Little Debbie snack cakes.
The child began grabbing glass bottles of sparkling juice and throwing them on the ground before a man intervened
One customer asked who the girl was with and where they were, while another ordered onlookers not to touch her or try to intervene.
As a larger crowd began to form around the child, more witnesses tried to talk to her and get her to stop, but she only worsened her angry attack.
The last straw was when she started throwing bottles of sparkling juice on the floor, causing red liquid to spill out and shards of glass to shatter across the floor.
A man was seen trying to stop her from getting more bottles before the video ended.
It is unclear where and when this incident occurred, but it began circulating online on Monday.
Online viewers shared mixed reactions, with many blaming the girl’s parents for her behavior.
One person wrote, “That parent or grandparent should have to pay for every item after Walmart sues for destruction of property.”
Others, as Amber said, were harsh on the girl’s behavior, saying there was “no justification” for her actions.
But some shared the understanding mother’s perspective even before she revealed what caused the tantrum and speculated about what might be going on in the girl’s life.
“Children who behave this way are often testing their caregivers to see if they care enough about them to exert some authority, control and structure,” one person said, analyzing the child’s behavior.