Philadelphia Police Investigate Love Triangle Rat Attack

[April 05, 2014]  By Daniel Kelley

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) — How do you get the attention of a girl who has everything — including your boyfriend?

One woman seeking revenge on a romantic rival smashed the windows of her South Philadelphia home and dumped a box of live white rats inside, police said.

"I'd have to say this is a first," Officer Christine O'Brien said on Thursday.

In a long-running dispute over a man, the jealous lover and about eight other women friends used a baseball bat to break the glass and toss the rodents inside at about 11 p.m. Wednesday in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, Philadelphia police said.

The gang also punched the 30-year-old victim, inflicting cuts and bruises, and stole her purse containing identification and about $200, police said.

The victim was able to identify at least one of the attackers, who fled in a Chevy Lumina.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Gunna Dickson)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.