Police sirens from a cruiser.
Two New York sisters in their 30s have been arrested for allegedly physically brutalizing one another as five children watched, police said Wednesday.
Police responding to a call about a domestic dispute at a Dutchtown Road home in Ulster County's Saugerties on the Fourth of July found both 33-year-old Mia and 32-year-old Lani Smith hurt, authorities said.
Both women had visible injuries to an eye as well as other injuries, though cops say Lani Smith suffered the worst.
She sustained what Saugerties police described as a "significant" right eye injury after her sister allegedly kicked her in the face and then punched her in the eye five times. It wasn't clear how severe the injury was -- whether it would partially blind or otherwise permanently limit her vision.
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It also wasn't clear what sparked the battle between the sisters, but each one pointed to the other as the primary attacker. The five children witnessed the whole fight, cops said. It wasn't clear to whom they belonged. None were said to have been hurt.
The Smith sisters are each charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and attempted assault, all misdemeanors. Lani Smith was released on her own recognizance after her arraignment. The court also issued a no harassment order of protection on her behalf against her sister, Mia Smith.
It wasn't clear as of Wednesday afternoon if Mia Smith had been arraigned, nor was attorney information for either woman immediately available.
