My mama keep hitting me, bro. Oh, please take her. >> She put her hands up. She think she So I showed her. >> She went and came in the room and she punched me in my face. I said, "What did I do to you?" And then she she hit me again. So I said, "Bro, I hate you." And I tried to walk out and she dragged me by my hair. >> Her face, her neck, her arms. You can't beating her like that. >> On January [music] 12th, 2024, officers with the Riviera Beach Police Department were dispatched to an apartment on Avenue E after an anonymous neighbor called [music] in an unknown disturbance next door. What they arrived to was a 13-year-old girl who claimed her own mother had turned on her physically, leaving her bullied and shaken. Officers rushed to the scene and were met by a visibly distressed daughter standing outside the residence. Bro, she keep me, bro. >> My mama keep hitting me, bro. [laughter] >> You need medics? >> Oh, please take her. >> Please take her, bro. What happened? >> What's going on this morning? [laughter] >> My daughter think she can beat me. >> Take her. >> She put her hands on me. Let's go take >> I told her to get up and get ready for school. >> Take me, bro. >> Okay. What's What's going on, though? I mean, it's just because she won't go to school. >> No, she put her hands on me. She think she So, I showed her. Yeah, that's what happened. >> Oh, for heaven's sakes. How old is your daughter? >> 13. >> What else was it about? Just because you wouldn't go to school. >> No, I told her to get up, >> get ready for school. >> Take your time. >> She in there. >> So, she gets out. She First of all, she starts to see your girl. She still >> She what? >> She still in there. >> Okay. >> So, I had to get up, wipe down my friend's couch. So, listen. I tell her to go get in the shower. She goes and get in the shower and then she walks in the room. I tell her to get what you need to get out of the room and come on, let's go. So, she goes in the room and she take too long. So, I go in there and I'm like, "What the [ __ ] did I just say?" >> Right? >> Told you to get your [ __ ] and come on. >> Right. >> She's like, "Oh, God, why you always doing this?" So, I'm like, "Sabriel, get your mothering ass out of here like I said." >> Right. >> So, she think she can beat me. She going to swinging on me. No, you can't beat me. >> What did she push you first or took a swing at you? >> How did she do? What did she do? I mean, just explain to just starting. >> She's 13. >> All right, mom. What's your first name? >> Monica. >> It didn't take long for officers to sense that tensions inside that apartment had been running dangerously high. And that morning, things had finally boiled over. The daughter was clear. Her mother had been physical with her. Monica had the same story, just with herself as the victim. She told officers her daughter had swung at her first, and that everything she did was purely in self-defense. Coming up, officers had to cut through two conflicting accounts to figure out what had really gone down inside that home. >> And I just had an open DCF kiss with her. I don't know if she called or whatever in case, but this is not the first time that she did this. She's 13 years old. You going to respect me. You're going to respect her. >> Okay. Uh what what's her name? >> Okay. Is there anybody else in the house that watched it? >> No. No. Oh, I see you got her name ticked tattooed on you in there. >> It's all over. Huh? It's all over them. That's my only. But she always thinks she thinks she can get slick and think she can do whatever she want. It's not happening. >> All right, just hang out here a second. Let me go talk to her real quick. >> So, how did you guys end up here? >> Did you guys stay the night or you just came over? >> Just came over. >> Okay. >> Stay right there. >> Yeah. Yeah. Mom, just stay right there and let me talk to her. >> Huh? >> She's >> What? What happened this morning? >> I went I took I was taking a shower and I got out as I come room so I could put on lotion. I went in her room and I was getting the lotion and I was telling her asking her what she was look good with my shirt and then my mom she came and she get out the room talking. Why is she hot and every time she get she do this to me. So she went she went and came in the room and she punched me in my face. I said, "What did I do to you?" And then she she hit me again. So I said, "Bro, I hate you." And I tried to walk out and she dragged me by my hair and I had a point in and she pulled it out, dropped my hair and then she was so I her back and then she kept hitting me. So I hit her back and my teeth was like, "Stop." So I stopped and she just sat there and was hit me and I just sat there and I just let her hit me and I didn't care and I told her and I kept every time she hit me I said I didn't care. I don't care. I don't care. >> Guess what she was screaming when before I got here saying I don't care. That's why I was like yelling. >> Yeah. Um >> I'm not going with her. So I'm going to have to take one off cuz I'm not going. >> She was getting ready for school. Mom's supposed to be on some 47 3 I don't know something. They don't even live here. They came here to shower. They're homeless. She said they live over in off North Lake Shore Court or something. >> Yes, we live with her friend. >> But we don't have no >> Okay. Cuz obviously her story is a little different. It's that she was telling you to do stuff and >> she's lying. >> You didn't do it. She told you to get the clothes out of the the room that you needed. Go take a shower. You were taking your time or whatever. You turned and got in her face or something like that. She You started swinging at her and then she >> I'll never hit my mama before breakfast. >> Then she obviously did what she did. >> She's fired up. >> She what? >> Her face, her neck, her arms. She She was dropped. >> You dropped the You just dropped the something earring cuz it fell off her ear. >> After hearing the daughter's full account of what had happened, the situation flipped entirely. The girl showed visible signs of an altercation with an injured lip and several marks across her body. She told officers her mother had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her before turning towards her face multiple times. Monica, by contrast, had no visible marks whatsoever. Officers now turned their attention to a potential witness who may have seen or heard enough to determine whose version of events held up. >> But still, >> I could get my auntie. >> What's the auntie name? >> Britney. >> Auntie auntie the one that that's your aunt. What's her name? >> Yeah, she name Britney. >> Britney. Okay. She's the one that been here a couple times. Uh, I arrested her >> estranged boyfriend last time >> or second to last. >> I'll call her. >> Britney, did you see any what happened this morning? >> You didn't see any of that. >> She had a problem with going to the bathroom. So, she while she was asleep and her mom >> freaked out. Do you want the other people in my house to know? I don't know what the happened. >> This mom looks a lot better than daughter. Daughter looks like she took the brunt of >> Yeah. >> whatever happened. Now my worry is Did you see who started the physical first? >> Mom did. >> Mom did. >> Mom grabbed her. Okay. She grabbed her by her hair. Yeah. >> Okay. That's what we're saying. Right. >> Okay. All right. What's that? >> She can stay here with me. >> Okay. >> Um, did mom drive here? >> Huh? >> Did mom drive here? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, she has a car. >> Yes. >> Well, the the sad fact of it is I don't know. I'm gonna call my sergeant most likely because I mean Florida has corporal punishment but not your kid in the face. I mean she's got a lip. >> You know you want to, you know, speak your kid and, you know, maybe slap around a little bit, >> but you're not supposed to leave marks cuz she's got a lip. >> So mom may end up going. I don't know. We're going to talk. She says that yeah, the the daughter apparently has a problem with going to the bathroom and she had made an accident and she gets upset about it, which I get. She's 13, but she didn't want anybody in the house to know about it or whatever. I guess mom didn't want anybody in the house knowing about it. That's what the I don't care I don't care was. But um mom went to grab it on her and I guess she was probably giving her some lip or whatever, but mom grabbed her first and popped her in the face. >> Yeah, she can grab her. That's not against the law. >> Not supposed to leave marks and stuff like that. So >> that's one reason why I would feel that she's >> Yeah. >> The only reason I say that because I've had the situation where a mom came and try to find, you know, pick one case. I don't know if you were there but I don't know if you were there but daughter's a runaway and then the mothers the daughter like friends jump the mom all they but you know she she was like well why didn't I was like well she was trying to get her child to go home and she's been running away for she's been missing for like a whole week or something >> and they're like cuz the marks and stuff just because how her lip looks and stuff just I would you know job to be granted child to be lippy but us if we were to just check in the face, you know, bottom or whatever. Her lips >> get scratched all over her face. >> Yeah. If she wants to see her kid, that's one thing. But her about the face, >> there's no It's all over her face and her neck and her everything is >> Yeah. >> So >> So I take her for the child. >> Mhm. And she's 13. >> Yeah. >> Matter if the child li punch her in the face and drag her. She said she dragged her and her hair. >> Yeah. >> She her porn said she had a ponytail on there. >> What? >> The booze dripped out. Her hair dripped out. hurt. That's why she's taking it out. >> At this point, what the evidence was pointing to stood painfully clear. The injuries were on the teen girl, not on the mother. And yet, even as officers began laying out what came next, Monica continued to act as if she had done nothing wrong. But officers weren't buying it. >> I guess I'll take mom for the the >> All right. Knock her out. >> All right. You explain to her. >> Yeah. The unfortunate thing is here. You can't your child. I'm okay with youing her and all that stuff. You understand what I'm saying? I come here and she's got a out lip. It's all her hair's pulled out. She's got scratches all over her arms. She's got scratches. >> Yeah, I have scratches on me, too, though. >> I understand that. >> She swung on me. >> I understand that. But you can't you can't her like that. I mean, it's a it's a totally different thing than corporal punishment in the state of Florida. If I came here and she was red on her or red on her back or whatever, fine. I'm okay with that. >> She's sworn damn. >> I understand. >> I understand. And that's the other thing. She's 13. Okay. I I can't I can't not I understand what you're saying. As a mom, as a parent, I get it. But you can't beating on her. There's a difference between discipline and on somebody. There's a difference. >> I hit it like one or two times, but I really was holding her down with my knee. >> I had it on the ground and I was holding it down on my knee. >> But here's the thing. If I leave and don't do anything about it, just write a report on it and somebody watches my camera and sees her buddy lip. Who do you think they're going to come talk to? They're going to come talk to me and I'm going to lose my job. And I've got kids to take care of. >> And it's domestic. >> And it's domestic. >> I I have no other alternative. >> I have brown, too, though. You you look the adult >> you're the adult in the situation. She's 13. >> Regardless, DCF's going to be involved now because of the situation. Just so you let me have your jacket. >> Yes. Wow. >> It's It sounds worse than it is, but when it is your child, it's not considered a simple battery. It's you have to call it. It's the same basic. Okay. Come this way. >> Walk that way. >> Yeah. Go that way, guys. might have to take off all this property for you. >> This your first time he's been arrested. >> No, he's not for >> domestic. >> Yep. >> On her too with her. >> What do you mean? >> What was the other domestic charge? >> Domestic. >> Yeah. Domestic period. >> Oh, you haven't for Okay. All right. >> They're not going to let her take that into our property. Black female 1051 to the jail 65 star. >> In the end, Monica High Totower was arrested and charged with held abuse with great bodily harm. She was transported to the Palm Beach County Jail and booked with no bond. As for Monica, this would not be her last encounter with law enforcement. >> [music] >> New records show that she was arrested again in 2025 on a separate domestic battery charge, suggesting that what officers witnessed that January morning was far from an isolated incident.