DAVIE, Fla. — A 23-year-old mother says she is recovering from injuries and trauma after she was allegedly attacked by a married couple in a Davie parking lot, an incident she says unfolded in front of her 4-year-old son after a dispute over how she disciplined him.
“My child was sitting there screaming, ‘mommy,’ because he was watching me get attacked, scratched, clawed and bruised,” the woman told Local 10 News in an exclusive interview on Friday. “The fact that my son had watched that and that he witnessed the whole thing.”
Davie police said officers arrested Terry Williams, 66, and his wife, Mary Thalia Williams, 63, in connection with the Wednesday confrontation in the 5400 block of University Drive. Both have since bonded out of jail.
According to an arrest report, the incident began after the mother said her son misbehaved and spit in her face. She told police she smacked the child once in the mouth and once on his torso.
Police said Terry Williams approached the woman and told her she could not discipline her child that way, falsely claiming he worked for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
After he walked away, investigators said Mary Williams confronted the mother “aggressively,” escalating the encounter.
The situation turned physical when the mother attempted to leave with her child, according to police. Investigators said Mary Williams blocked her from getting to her car, and a struggle ensued.
Police said Mary Williams allegedly scratched and choked the woman, while both Mary and Terry Williams grabbed her shirt and hair. The arrest report states the couple ripped her shirt off completely, leaving her in her bra, and Mary Williams also entered the victim’s car and took her keys.
A witness told investigators she saw both suspects pulling the woman by her shirt and hair as the victim tried to escape.
“They were on both sides and they were just grabbing her and they were ripping the scrub shirt off of her,” the witness told Local 10 News.
Police said the victim had visible injuries consistent with being choked and scratched.
The mother, who asked not to be identified, said she is now focused on her child’s emotional recovery.
“In the process, my shirt ripped from my neck all the way to my belly button and the only way I can get out of the grass was to get free from my shirt,” she said. “The next day we got home, he (the victim’s son) asked me a couple of times, why did she hit me? Why did they attack me? Why did this happen?”
Attorneys for the woman say they are now pursuing legal action and expect surveillance video of the incident to be released.
Davie police confirmed video exists but have not released it publicly.
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