NEWPORT NEWS -- A 15-year old girl is in trouble with the law after allegedly attacking another girl with pepper spray while at school.
The incident happened at Denbigh High School about 10:20 Monday morning.
The 9th grade student is accused of discharging the spray toward the other girl while in the hallway. The suspect was taken into custody by the school resource officer.
The target of the assault and another student who was nearby were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Several others were treated by school personnel.
Police say it appears the incident had to do with an ongoing dispute between the girls but the suspect's mother, Miriam Taylor says her daughter D.J. Jefferson was bullied.
Taylor claims they talked to teachers and administrators at Denbigh multiple times and nothing was ever done to stop it.
Jefferson said she couldn't take it anymore.
"Last week, it was just little things that I could just walk around and say 'Oh, well.' But today, it wasn't."
She says a group of kids teased her during gym class, took off her shoe, and called her fat in the locker room. She claims that a freshman hit her in the face and that's when she used pepper spray given to her by her mother who defends her actions.
"She slapped my daughter across the face. That's how she got maced," said Taylor. "I'm here to protect my child, so if I was wrong by giving her the mace, then so be it. Charge me."
The accused has been charged with malicious assault with a caustic substance which is a felony. She was released by the Juvenile Court Services and is in custody of her parents.
Police are still investigating. There's no word on whether anyone else might be charged.
