Background: Northwest 72nd Street in Miami-Dade County, Florida, near where the suspect was arrested (Google Maps). Inset: Leticia Puentes (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation).

Leticia Puentes, aged 39, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon, as confirmed by records from the Miami-Dade County jail. This incident, which authorities have classified as domestic violence, unfolded early Thursday morning.

The altercation took place in their residence on Northwest 72nd Street, a neighborhood situated about six miles from Downtown Miami. According to reports, the dispute began around 8:15 a.m. when the son, whose age has not been disclosed, allegedly became disruptive and began throwing items around the house.

Local ABC affiliate WPLG reported that the argument originated over a disagreement about a phone bill and the son’s repeated tardiness at school. As tensions escalated, the disagreement turned physical.

During the scuffle, which occurred on the floor of their home, Puentes allegedly took hold of a fork and stabbed her son behind his ear. This account was provided by the son himself, as detailed in an arrest report obtained by Law&Crime. Upon arriving at the scene, police officers observed a fresh bleeding puncture wound located behind the son’s right ear.

As the mother and son tussled on the floor of the home, Puentes “grabbed a fork and stabbed him behind the ear,” the son said, per an arrest report obtained by Law&Crime. Officers arrived at the home and saw the son with a “fresh bleeding puncture wound” behind his right ear.

Miami-Dade County first responders treated the victim’s injury at the home.

The mother admitted to stabbing her son with the fork, though she reportedly claimed it was in self-defense. She was arrested and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is being held on a $3,000 bond.