RICHMOND, Va. -- A 12-year-old boy was charged with aggravated assault and taken to juvenile detention after he accidentally hit his four-year-old brother with a hammer during a fight early Wednesday morning.
She says they rushed her youngest son to the hospital where he received a few stitches, and now he he's recovering at home.
Investigators said the 12-year-old boy picked up the hammer while he fought with someone inside a unit on Raven Street in Mosby Court at about 2 a.m. While he swung the hammer during the fight, he struck the four-year-old child in the head, police said.
The child's mother said family was at her home watching a movie when someone told the 12-year-old boy to put down a game he was playing. He refused, picked up a hammer and took a swing at his uncle, his mom said. He missed and instead hit his little brother.
Clarke-Tunstall's 12-year-old son is now behind bars at the Richmond Juvenile Detention center, charged with Aggravated Assault, and he is expected to remain in juvenile detention until a September 4 hearing. During that time, he's scheduled to go through a mental evaluation.
"He was crying, upset, irate. He was in panic and really didn't know what was going on at the present moment," said Clarke-Tunstall.
Her son has been diagnosed with ADHD and another behavioral disorder called Oppositional Defiant disorder, which is when children show a pattern of disobedience and hostility towards authority figures.
The 12-year-old's mother says he takes medication but wasn't sure if he took it before Wednesday's attack.
Clarke-Tunstall worries about her son who is now going through the legal system.
"I just want him to get the current help that he needs," said Clarke-Tunstall
She want the public to know that she would never put her kids in danger.
"I love all five of my children. They are my world. Love your kids. Hug your kids and let them know that there's nothing like a mother's love," said Clarke-Tunstall.
We reached out to Richmond's department of Social Services, but they couldn't comment on this case.
At this point, the mother has not been charged with a crime.
