Fight between two 7-year-olds turns violent after mom gets involved
An argument between two young children playing outside together escalated to violence when a parent got involved, a North Bay mom says.
North Bay police confirm they have charged a 33-year-old female with assault in the incident that happened nearly two weeks ago.
"As this incident involves minors, in order to protect their identity, I cannot release the name of the accused," North Bay Police Service spokesperson David Woolley told CTV News in an email Thursday afternoon.
CTV News spoke with the victim's mom, Stephanie, and is omitting her last name to protect her son's identity.
Stephanie told CTV News in a phone interview on Thursday afternoon her son was playing outside with other kids in the neighbourhood on McNamara Street when he got into an argument with one of his friends over the sharing of sleds.
She was out of town at the time with her other child at a basketball tournament, so her son was staying with a babysitter.
After the argument, the kids went their separate ways and he went to a nearby corner store with his babysitter's older son, she said.
While he was there, Stephanie said the mother of the girl he had a disagreement with came up to him, held him against the wall and choked the seven-year-old.
A store clerk intervened, escorted her out and walked the boys back to the babysitter's house.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
When Stephanie found out what happened, she said she called police right away.
"He is very shook up and scared, but he is physically OK," she said.
The accused was charged Jan. 30 after police compiled video footage and witness statements, Stephanie said.
After the incident, Stephanie said she reached out to the other mom whose response was, "went to your door, nobody answered, so I handled it." An apology has never been offered, she said.
As a result of the attack, she said her son doesn't want to play outside because the accused lives nearby and luckily, the two children don't go to school together.
Both victim and witness services have reached out to offer the young victim counselling, Stephanie said.
All she wants is for the neighbourhood children to be safe again, she added.
The accused was released on an undertaking following her arrest and is scheduled to appear in court March 14.
The charge has not been proven in court.
Correction
The gender of the other child involved in the argument was incorrectly identified as male in the initial publication, the friend was a 7-year-old female and the article above has been corrected.
The victim's mother clarified the assault took place Jan. 21 and while she called police that same day, they went in to make an official report the next day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
EXCLUSIVE | Security increased for prime minister's advisers after break-and-enter incidents
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.

'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
Memes, ski etiquette and that missing GoPro video: Highlights from the Gwyneth Paltrow trial
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' 8 years ago major eyesore for upscale Toronto street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
UCP candidate, slammed for comments on pornography in schools, quits
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Here's how to know if someone is struggling with a video game addiction: Expert
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
'No question there need to be changes': PM responds to Nova Scotia mass shooting commission report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
TREND LINE | Poilievre surpasses Trudeau when it comes to preferred prime minister: Nanos
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
Coroner rules against officer's 'suicide by cop' theory for Sammy Yatim inquest
A coroner has denied a request from a former Toronto police officer to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was committing "suicide by cop."