Mom fights back with knife as 13-year-old son beats her with branch, TN cops say

A 13-year-old Tennessee boy beat his mother with a tree branch and tried to throw her off a balcony, forcing her to defend herself with a knife, police say.

Officers responded to a 911 call at an apartment complex on the northeast side of Memphis at 5:20 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, the police department said in a news release.

The mother told investigators she was cooking when she got into an argument with her teenage son and he became violent, pushed her out onto their second-floor balcony and repeatedly punched her in the head, police said.

The boy left for a few moments, came back with a large tree branch and started beating her with it, according to police.

A neighbor who called police witnessed the attack and described it as “one sided and violent,” the release said.

As the boy rained blows down on his mother, he pushed her toward the balcony railing, trying to throw her off, according to police. Investigators noted there would have been little on the ground below to break her fall.

“In complete fear of her life,” the mom fought back with a knife she had been holding, police said. She thought she cut her son during the struggle, she told officers, but he didn’t stop until he heard the sound of approaching sirens, according to police.

The teen left the scene with friends, police said, adding that the friends “were covering for (him)” as officers worked to find him. The boy returned to the area and was taken into custody at about 8 p.m. and transported to juvenile court.

He didn’t suffer any injuries, police said. However, his mother had a cut near her shoulder as well as deep bruising, but refused to be taken to a hospital because she “had no one … to watch her other children,” according to police.

This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Mom fights back with knife as 13-year-old son beats her with branch, TN cops say."