Baltimore mom caught smacking rioting son draws praise

Baltimore mom: "I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray"

(Update: Toya Graham, the Baltimore mother who is the subject of this story, spoke exclusively to CBS News about what motivated her to discipline her son. Watch the interview with her Tuesday night on the "CBS Evening News" and Wednesday morning on "CBS This Morning")

Whatever her name is, the woman caught on tape repeatedly smacking her apparent son after catching him throwing things at police during rioting in Baltimore on Monday has become famous.

Toya Graham wallops her teen-age son Monday during protests in Baltimore. CBS News

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.

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."

Fifteen police officers were injured, six seriously, in the violence. One officer was knocked unconscious by the blows from flying debris, and others were said to have suffered broken bones.

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