Selfie Stick Street Brawl Ensues Between Two Teens Over ‘Baby Mama’

By Sean Egan

Instructions for the selfie stick include plugging your smartphone in and clipping it to the top of the stick, but a teen recently discovered the photography tool can also act as a melee weapon.

An argument at the intersection of Willoughby and Lawrence Streets in Downtown Brooklyn escalated to a millennial level on Monday, July 18 when Demetrious Kelly, 19, unsheathed his selfie stick and began hammering away at Lavar Sprinkle, 27, according to police.

Kelly swung his selfie saber at Sprinkle, drawing blood from his hands, and back; bruising his back; and inflicting substantial pain, according to prosecutors.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office charged Kelly with assault, menacing, harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon — the selfie stick — according to prosecutors.

Sprinkle, though reeling from the photographic onslaught, thought the charges were too harsh, according to a report by Fort-Greene-Clinton Hill Patch, who had an exclusive interview with Sprinkle.

The two are acquaintances. Kelly is a friend of Sprinkle’s “baby mama,” according to Patch. Sprinkle was arguing with his “baby mama,” when Kelly stepped in to fight for her. The conflict started as an old-fashioned fist fight, but escalated when Sprinkle began beating Kelly with an umbrella. That was when Kelly drew the selfie stick, according to Patch.

“I had the umbrella, so I used the umbrella,” Sprinkle told Patch. “He had the selfie stick, so he used the selfie stick.”

Both aggressors were taken to the 84th precinct, according to Sprinkle, but only Kelly was charged with anything. Sprinkle theorized to Patch that Kelly was treated more harshly because of his rocky past with police.

Kelly was released without bail. His next court date is September 14.