Long Island Mother Drove Daughter to Fight, Pushed Other Teen: Police

A Long Island mother has been accused of driving her 15-year-old daughter to fight another teen at a park Thursday afternoon and then joining in on the scuffle once they arrived, police say.

Dorka Lopez, 41, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of harassment for her role in the fight at Regis Park in Brentwood, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

Police say that after driving her daughter to fight another 15-year-old girl, Lopez watched the brawl along with 20 to 30 other teens.

At one point, the mother allegedly grabbed the other girl’s head and pushed her to the ground.

Lopez pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Friday. Bail was set at $3,000 cash.

Her attorney, Lawrence Carra, said the scuffle was a misunderstanding.

"It was blown out of proportion," he said. "My client went there to avoid conflict, not to generate conflict." 

The girls in the video weren't seriously hurt and neither has been arrested. Neighbors said fights like the one on Thursday are a problem at Regis Park.

"There's a school on the next block, and usually when they solve their fight problems, they do it over here," said Christian Lugo. 

Another teenage neighbor, Briana Gonzalez, saw the crowd gathering on Thursday and after seeing cellphone video of the fight, said, "I think it was pretty cruel of her. She should have just never brought her daughter here if it was going to get into a big altercation like that." 

-- Michael George contributed to this report. 

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