California mom charged in case of kid hitting sports rival

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California woman faces criminal charges because authorities say she told her basketball player daughter “you better hit her” before the girl punched an opposing player in the head during a game. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Thursday that the mother’s words were the attack’s catalyst. The punch was allgedly thrown last month as two club teams played during a tournament in the city of Garden Grove near Los Angeles. Spitzer says Latira Shonty Hunt told her daughter to hit the girl after the players were involved in a previous play. It wasn’t immediately known if she has an attorney who could comment on her behalf.