Dance-Off Leads to Rumble

WICHITA, KS-September 20, 2005 -- A "dance off" here led to a rumble and now two people are in a lot of trouble.

One person required stitches and a mother and son were arrested after two drill teams began brawling during an impromptu dance competition, Wichita police said.

"This is a whole new arena" of crime, said Wichita police Lt. Jeff Easter.

The Dynamic Steppers, a Wichita drill team, were practicing routines Saturday night when members of another drill team, the White Tigers, showed up and challenged the others to a "dance-off," police said.

When the challengers appeared to be losing, a woman struck a 17-year-old Dynamic Steppers drummer in the face with a drumstick, Easter said.

The teen, who had left the White Tigers to join the Dynamic Steppers, punched the 28-year-old woman in the face. He then ran toward his SUV and tried to run over spectators, witnesses told police.

The boy's mother, who is a Dynamic Steppers coach, grabbed a box cutter and sliced the other woman's right arm, Easter said. The wound required eight stitches.

An estimated 50 people became involved in the altercation.

The mother was booked on suspicion of aggravated battery for cutting the other woman, Easter said, and the son faced charges of simple assault and aggravated assault. More charges are possible, police said.

(Copyright 2005 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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