posted 10-08-2004 06:26 AM                    

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BARSTOW, California (AP) -- An 11-year-old attacked her baby sitter with a machete during a struggle that included attempts by the girl to grab a baseball bat, a shovel and a BB gun, investigators said.

The girl fled on a bicycle after the attack but was arrested about an hour later and booked for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon, said Sgt. Doug Hubbard, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The 34-year-old sitter telephoned deputies after fending off the Tuesday attack and locking herself and the girl's 12-year-old sister in the bathroom of the Mojave Desert home, Hubbard said.

No serious injuries were reported.

The girl and the sitter had gotten into an argument over feeding a dog, and the girl began to beat and choke the animal, Hubbard said. The sitter tried to pry the girl off the dog.

The scuffle moved to the front yard, where the girl grabbed a shovel and then a baseball bat in an attempt to attack the woman, Hubbard said. The girl next found a BB gun, but the woman got it away from her, he said.

The altercation continued until the girl found the machete lying in the yard and began to chase the woman, who took refuge in the bathroom, Hubbard said.

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