California mother charged for telling child to hit opponent

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California woman faces criminal charges for telling her daughter “you better hit her” before the girl punched an opposing player in the head during a basketball game.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Thursday the words were the “catalyst” for the attack.

The punch was thrown last month as two club teams played during a tournament in Garden Grove, south of Los Angeles.

Spitzer said Latira Shonty Hunt told her daughter to hit the girl after the two players were involved in a previous play.

Hunt faces two misdemeanors for the incident that left the victim with a concussion.