The family of an 18-year old girl arrested and accused of hitting a girl with a bat said she was being bullied and only defended herself in the fight.
Police arrested 18-year-old Jontaianna Pitts on battery and criminal mischief charges.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office also arrested two more women, 24-year old Zakeria Johnson and 21-year old Ronetta Wright, for their involvement in the fight.
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“It has went too far. It has went too far,” said Tiara Hernandez.
Hernandez's niece Pitts was arrested after several people sent the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office now-viral videos of two large fights in Moncrief.
Hernandez says her niece was involved in both fights,
“My niece wasn’t out looking for trouble,” Hernandez said.
She said Pitts was defending herself after the girls came up to her niece’s job, threatening to beat her up.
She said those threats started the fight outside a beauty supply store in the Moncrief area. The video shows several women fighting outside the store. At one point, a security officer tried to stop the fight.
About an hour later, witnesses say that fight led to a second fight at a park just down the street. Police say it’s the same group of women, but that time, a bat was involved.
Police arrested Hernandez’s niece on battery and criminal mischief charges.
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Action News Jax's Larry Spruill: "Your niece is now facing these charges. Is that fair in your mind?"
Hernandez: "I don’t think it’s fair at all."
Someone with the same name as the security guard listed in the report, posted on Facebook, “I just don’t like the fact they’re trying to give her a felony charge for assaulting me, and she did no such thing.”
Hernandez said people are calling her sister, who is Pitts’ mother, a bad mother for fighting as well. She said that’s not the case at all. She was trying to break up the fight; that’s when she was hit.
Cox Media Group
