Good Old Fashioned Cheerleader--and Mom--Beat Down

Details of this story get a little confusing, but basically we allegedly have an angry cheerleader and her mom on one side of a fight and a cheerleading coach on the other. The coach, Sharell Ortiz, 34, allegedly broke up a fight at a HS football game between her own daughter and Kyersten Wood, 16, a cheerleader at Tarpon Springs High School. Later Kyersten and her mom, Karen Wood, 41, went looking for Ortiz, found her, and allegedly beat the crap out of her.

About 6:30 p.m. the same day, Karen Wood and her daughter confronted Ortiz at the Jasmine Sports Complex, where she was coaching a recreational league cheerleader squad. Ortiz told police Kyersten Wood "approached her in an aggressive manner and said 'wassup' holding her hands in the air."

Both Karen and Kyersten Wood began to have a physical altercation with Ortiz, who attempted to enter a small building at the complex to get away, the report said. "Ortiz tried several times to close the door, but Kyersten and Karen continued to pull the door open," the report said.

Ortiz said Kyersten Wood began to hit her in the face, and both Karen and Kyersten Wood shoved her to the ground, the report said. They both were hitting her in the face. Ortiz's left eye was swollen shut, and she had several bruises on her forehead and both arms, the report said. Kyersten Wood told police that Ortiz picked up a large stick and struck her with it. Kyersten Wood also said she chased Ortiz into the building and hit her in the face. There were no marks on Kyersten Wood, police said.

Karen Wood said she never hit Ortiz, but that she was there while her daughter was hitting Ortiz, the police report said. But an audio recording indicated differently. While on the phone with police after the altercation Sept. 5, Karen Wood is recorded saying that "Ortiz struck her daughter last night, so she 'jumped' on her," the report said.

Mother, daughter jailed in attack on cheerleading coach in Tarpon Springs - St. Petersburg Times