A 34-year-old Virginia mother is now facing charges after she allegedly went too far when intervening in a fight to protect her daughter.
It started on Tuesday in Newport News when Keisha Rankins was speaking with another mother, according to CBS 6.
Around 7:15 p.m. the other mother’s daughter and Rankins’ child started to fight. At first, the other mother tried to separate the girls but ended up becoming involved in the fight herself.
Other females of unknown ages then also joined the fight, prompting Rankins to step in an attempt to protect her child.
The mom allegedly used a bottle of mace that was on the ground to spray the others away from her daughter, police said.
Authorities arrived at the scene to find multiple “disorderly” females suffering from the effects of being maced.
Rankins was arrested and charged with three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, three counts of malicious assault by acid/explosive/fire, and two counts of assault.
According to Virginia law, a person can act in defense of another and still be protected by “self-defense” laws. However, that person is only protected if the person they are defending did not provoke the attack.
What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
