Rowlett Police Chasing Leads In Viral Video Of Fight

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ROWLETT (CBSDFW.COM) - Rowlett police are working to identify the teenaged girl who started a fight that left a small child injured.

Police say the 14-year-old victim and her sister were babysitting a 3-year-old cousin last Friday night. They were sitting on a bench behind Herfurth Elementary School when they were approached by a group of teens.

Police say one of the suspects, a teenaged girl about the same age as the victim, ordered the victim to stand up and she refused.

"Once they see the victim doesn't want to meet the challenge, you hear a male voice say, 'Get the baby.' The baby is keeping her from getting attacked," said Detective Cruz Hernandez.

A few seconds later, the suspect pulls the victim by the hair and begins beating her.

The 3-year-old on the victim's lap fell to the ground, and suffered minor injuries.

Because juveniles are involved, investigators have worked leads in the case behind closed doors since June 19th, but came forward to comment a week later, after a video of the fight was posted on the website LiveLeak.com.

Police say the video has led to allegations that the fight was racially motivated.

"Our victim is biracial herself, so race was not a motivator in this violent attack," said Detective Cruz Hernandez with the Rowlett Police Department.

"There was no racial motivation in the attack. You're talking about criminal behavior. Nothing leads us to believe that race was an issue," said Hernandez.

Hernandez says the victim and the suspect were both students at the same middle school and got into what he describes as a minor argument at school.

While the victim only knew the suspect by nickname, police say they are confident an arrest will be made.

"[The victim's family] is very concerned that the video is out there on the Internet. I think it's a parent's nightmare to see their child videotaped while they're being attacked in a violent manner," said Hernandez.

The fight with the 14-year-old victim is a misdemeanor offense, police say, but the injury to the 3-year-old is a third-degree felony.

Hernandez says detectives have received several leads since the video surfaced, and they expect to make an arrest.

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