Kindergarteners dressed as bees, snowflakes, dirt and caterpillars danced across the stage Wednesday, March 23, for Ridgemoor Elementary School’s spring play in Menifee.

Just before 7 p.m., a smattering of smiling parents crouched at the front of the stage to snap pictures of their kids.

But according to one witness, that’s when a woman decided to stand at full posture in front of center stage, obstructing the view of some of the roughly 300 parents at the show.

“The lady behind us asked her to please scoot over or grab a chair,” explained Doreen Johnson, grandmother of one of the performers. “She gave us the dirtiest look.”

The incident began a sequence of incidents that eventually led to the play being canceled, the woman being cited, the school district pondering what actions to take and the whole affair being sent to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review.

“It’s a very unfortunate series of events that took away from a wonderful tradition,” said Menifee Union School District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus.

Wednesday’s production marked the 16th annual Ridgemoor Kindergarten Spring Play, hosted at the Hans Christensen Middle School because of increased seating capacity. Cadmus said it’s the first year an incident like this has happened.

Johnson said the woman was still standing minutes later as the Paloma Valley ROTC began a Color Guard to honor U.S. veterans, with the kindergarteners poised to sing.

As a horde of angry parents grew impatient, pleading with the woman to move, another woman stood on a chair at center stage and shouted profanities at the crowd, saying the woman obstructing the view was physically disabled, Johnson said.

As insults were hurled across the crowded gym, the youngsters on-stage were ushered into a back room and the play was canceled, Cadmus said.

The verbal spat quickly turned into a shoving match, though it’s not clear if anyone was hit or injured, explained Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Michael Vasquez.

Once in the parking lot, the woman was questioned by a deputy. Vasquez said a citizen’s arrest was made and a female suspect was cited for battery. The woman’s name and age have not been released.

Letters about the incident were sent home with Ridgemoor students on Thursday, and phone notifications were placed to families of students.

The school began spring break Friday, and classes aren’t set to resume until April 4. Administrators will use that time to determine whether the suspect could potentially be banned from upcoming school events, Cadmus said.

Regardless of the outcome, Johnson said something was robbed from the children who performed Wednesday night.

“It was all about the kids, and this woman chose to make it all about herself,” Johnson said.

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