OPA-LOCKA, FLA. (WSVN) - A 12-year-old boy ran to his father’s apartment after he told police his mother hit him with a hammer and sprayed pepper spray in his face during a confrontation inside a vehicle, according to an arrest report.
Lynettee Stanley, 37, told an officer that “nothing happened” when she was questioned about Thursday afternoon’s incident.
According to the arrest report, an officer responded to an apartment along Alexandria Drive and found the boy in the shower “desperately trying to wash off” what police described as a chemical agent.
The officer said the boy appeared shaken and told police the confrontation began while he and his mother were driving home.
The boy said Stanley stopped the vehicle and began hitting him with a hammer that had been kept inside the car, according to the report.
Police said the boy, who was sitting in the rear passenger seat, used his left arm to block the blows.
The boy told investigators that Stanley then grabbed a canister of pepper spray and sprayed him directly in the face.
He said the spray filled the vehicle and made it difficult for him to breathe.
According to police, the boy managed to open the car door, escape and run to his father’s nearby apartment..
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded and treated the boy for his injuries.
The officer later spoke with Stanley and asked her what had happened between her and her son.
“Nothing happened,” Stanley responded, according to the report.
The officer said he could smell a strong odor of pepper spray coming from Stanley while speaking with her.
Stanley was arrested Thursday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm.
A judge found probable cause and set her bond at $5,000.
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