American kidnapped in Mexico arrested for gun and child delinquency charges days after TV appearance
One of the survivors of a Mexican cartel kidnapping reportedly pulled a gun during a fight between children, according to police.
Latavia Washington McGee, 34, was one of four Americans who was kidnapped in Mexico by cartel members who mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers. The group had traveled from South Carolina to Mexico so Ms McGee could get a cosmetic procedure when the group was taken.
She was one of only two of her group who survived the ordeal. Shaheed Woodward and Zindell Brown, who traveled with her, were killed. A fourth companion, Eric James Williams, was shot in the leg, but survived. Ms McGee returned to the US uninjured.
Ms McGee was arrested on Friday after she allegedly pulled a "small black pistol" from her purse after taking her daughter to fight another child and an apartment complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to a report from WMBF-TV.
The incident occurred on 17 February — before her kidnapping — and police have only now acted on the warrant after reportedly giving her time to recuperate and spend time with her children.
She allegedly took her daughter to an apartment complex to fight another girl. A relative pulled her away from the scene, according to the police report.
Ms McGee allegedly returned to the scene and the children began to fight. The adults at the complex began to fight as well, which culminated with Ms McGee allegedly pulling a pistol from her purse and "waving it around."
She was ultimately arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to police. Ms McGee was held on a $10,000 bond.
Her lawyer, Mark Simmons, told the Daily Mail that the charge was in no way related to her ordeal in Mexico.
“This charge was in no way related to the torture and death that [McGee] went through,” he said. “We believe that the police department was doing its job. We are grateful for the hard work the police department does, but we do look forward to the charge being dismissed.”
The arrest came only two days after she appeared in an exclusive interview with CNN opposite Anderson Cooper.
