Woman teaches teen attacker painful lesson

SEATTLE — A 62-year-old woman attacked by a suspected teenage vandal taught the boy a painful lesson before police arrived.

Carol Ann Lovejoy lives near Roxhill Elementary School in West Seattle.

A few weeks ago at about 8 p.m., Lovejoy said she saw three teenage boys hiding behind some bushes at Southwest Roxbury Street and 30^th Avenue Southwest by a day care that has been vandalized before.   She was concerned they might be tagging.

“I was in my PJs and my slippers.  I told them if they didn’t get out of there, I was going to call the police,” said Lovejoy.

Lovejoy said two of the boys ran off but one came at her.

“I said, ‘What are you going to do, beat up on an old lady?’” said Lovejoy, who had already dialed 911.

Her dogs were locked up inside as the boy moved in.

“(He) hit the phone out of my hand. He took a swing.  At that point I kneed him in his private parts and his response was – 'That was pretty good,'” said Lovejoy.

She also gave him a right to the chest, but it didn’t stop him.

“He continued in his aggressive stance, so I gave him a little pop to the nose; a little left jab,” she said.

The punch was enough to slow him until police arrived.

“I wasn’t just going to go away,” said Lovejoy.

The former social worker said she assumes they boy is troubled and wishes she would have tried a different approach.

“More maternal?  I don’t know, because he was just a kid,” said Lovejoy.

Lovejoy said she'll continue to watch over the day care.

“At the time, I think I was feeling some righteous indignation,” said Lovejoy.

It is not known what charges the boy may face, but Lovejoy said she hopes the boy gets a second chance.

KIRO