Gainesville Police say a 41-year-old woman beat up a teenage girl Monday night in a dispute that apparently began because of a single zebra-striped high heel.
Iris Cruz, of 908 NW 4th Place, was charged with aggravated assault and child abuse. Another girl, Andriel Smith, 15, was also charged with aggravated assault.
Cruz, Smith and about 14 other people packed into three cars and drove to the 16-year-old victim's house on NE 26th Terrace around 6:45 p.m., neighbors said. The crowd's target was standing on her front yard. Her mother wasn't home.
When Cruz and Smith got out of their car, they marched toward the victim, aluminum baseball bats in hands. But before they could reach their intended destination, two other women in the neighborhood wrestled the bats from Cruz and Smith, according to an arrest report.
Smith left her weapon behind and charged toward the girl. She yanked hair. They rolled into a small ditch. Cruz joined the tussle.
Standing over the two girls, Cruz began punching the victim, whose name was not released because she is a minor. Karen Davis, one of the girl's neighbors, said she stopped the fight, but two more scraps unfolded down the street.
"We couldn't break up the fights fast enough," Davis said. "As soon as one broke out, another one started."
The relationship between Cruz and Smith is unclear. According to police, Cruz came with her daughter, whose name was not released.
Cruz said she never even left her house Monday, much less participated in the fight. She said police showed up and arrested her despite neighbors protesting that she couldn't have been involved. However, the victim and two witnesses identified Cruz in a lineup later that night, according to police.
The victim said the fight started because a girl lost one of her shoes at the victim's house on Saturday. But on Facebook, that girl accused the victim of stealing skirts and underwear. The victim denied taking anything.
"I guess that was a million-dollar shoe," Davis said.
Evidence of the fight covered the victim's front yard Tuesday afternoon, as bits of a black hair weave were scattered throughout the grass and on the street. One of the victim's braids lay on the edge of the road. At the tip of the braid, some of the girl's natural hair was still attached.
It was pulled out from the root.
