Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Woman is arrested in boiling-grease attack in Las Vegas

Click to enlarge photo

Michael Williams

Click to enlarge photo

Tanisha Armstrong

A man stomped and held a woman down while his sister poured boiling-hot cooking grease down her throat and on her face, permanently disfiguring her in a dispute that began with name calling and a broken window, according to Metro Police.

The woman also had boiling grease poured on her arms, legs and chest, and suffered internal damage. Medics had to revive her when she arrived at University Medical Center on Dec. 7, police said in arrest-warrant documents.

Tanisha Armstrong, 34, was taken into custody Wednesday, court records show. Her brother, Michael Williams, was arrested April 26. Both face counts of attempted murder, battery with intent to kill and mayhem, court records show.

According to police:

The woman visited a friend about 6 p.m. at an apartment complex at 708 Jackson Ave. near H Street and Owens Avenue. She was acquainted with Armstrong, who also lived in the complex, and at one point, they encountered each other and began to argue.

The woman called Armstrong ugly, then threw a rock through a window into Armstrong's apartment. She fled, then returned to her friend's apartment about 15 minutes later. While she talked to her friend's son just outside the unit, Williams, Armstrong's brother, came from behind, drove her to the ground and began to stomp her.

Armstrong, who was present during the attack, returned to her apartment. The next time the woman saw Armstrong, she was holding a pot filled with hot grease.

At some point during the subsequent attack with the grease, the woman lost consciousness. A friend’s relative drove her to the hospital between 7 and 9 p.m.

The woman was at UMC for about a month and a half, then spent another month and a half at a rehabilitation center. Police visited her at a second rehabilitation center when they began their investigation Feb. 16.

The woman, who at that time couldn't move her head left or right and was in constant pain, told investigators she hadn't been able to retrieve her purse, cellphone and bicycle from the apartment complex.

Williams' trial is set to begin Oct. 3. Armstrong’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 26.

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