Teen, mother attacked and pepper sprayed near Publix, police say

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County teenager is bruised and swollen after an attack.

Sirenya Truong, 18, told Channel 2's Matt Johnson a man punched her in the face and pepper sprayed her mother when they caught him breaking into their car.

"I went to go help and this is what happened," she said, pointing to the bruises on her face.

Truong is starting her first summer as a high school graduate with a black eye and a broken nose.

Cobb County police told Channel 2 Action News a thief attacked her and her mom after he broke into their car.

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"He cut my face around here with my glasses when punching me," she said.

It happened Tuesday at around 9 p.m. in front of the nail salon owned by Truong's family.

She said she saw the man stealing wallets from their unlocked car on Camp Highland Road in Smyrna.

They followed him as he walked toward the Publix shopping center, Troung said.

"We just wanted a picture so if the cops do come we could show them this is what he looked like," she said.

Police said Tyrone Butler. 55. turned around and sprayed them with pepper spray before punching both of them.

"He was spraying us then it got physical because I wanted to go protect my mother," Troung said. "She went to go fight back for me because that's not right either and so he started beating on her and hitting her and he kicked her around."

Witnesses heard the fighting, then called 911 which the family said made Butler run.

Police found Butler hiding nearby 20 minutes later and they arrested him, to Truong's relief.

"Pepper spray and getting punched is better than losing my life that night," she said.

Butler has a history of guilty pleas for car break-ins and aggravated assault dating back to 2004.

Truong said as long as Butler is in jail, he won't have any more victims.

"I hope he stays in there," she said.

Cox Media Group