Fed up with children cutting across her lawn, a Florida woman allegedly gave her daughter and two friends alcohol and let them beat up a girl she accused of trespassing, police said yesterday.
The victim, a 13-year-old girl, was allegedly punched, pushed into a swimming pool and held under water, police said.
Ms Delmy Ruiz (34), has been charged with attempted murder, false imprisonment and battery on a police officer, according to Ms Maryann Flanagan, a police spokeswoman in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pembroke Pines.
Police said Ms Ruiz spent the day sharing cigarettes and alcohol with the teenagers, then sent them to the local school to fetch the girl she accused of routinely crossing her lawn. The victim accompanied the other girls to Ms Ruiz's home and told her the path she used was a public access path, which police later confirmed.
That apparently upset the other teenagers. Police said they punched her, pulled her hair, pushed her into a swimming pool, then jumped in on top of her and held her head under water as Ms Ruiz stood by.
The victim's mother called police, who confronted Ms Ruiz. She struggled and worked her way out of her handcuffs and had to be subdued. Her daughter and two friends were arrested on charges ranging from battery to attempted murder.