A Florida mother has been charged with aggravated child abuse after allegedly holding a six-year-old boy underwater during a pool altercation at a luxury hotel.

Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, was arrested following an incident at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, FL on Friday, December 19, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a report of a battery involving a child and took Griffith into custody later that day.

Investigators said three children were playing in the hotel pool when rough behavior began to escalate.

According to a charging affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, a witness told police that the splashing between the children became aggressive.

The witness said Griffith entered the pool calmly and approached the children. She allegedly began splashing water on them before moving behind one child.

The affidavit states that Griffith placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders and fully submerged him underwater for two to four seconds.

After lifting him back up, she allegedly splashed water on the child again and then exited the pool.

Witness account and surveillance footage

The sheriff’s office said the six-year-old boy had earlier dunked Griffith’s son underwater. The children are reportedly around the same age.

However, officers said that detail was not supported by the security footage they reviewed.

According to the affidavit, the surveillance video matched the witness’s account of Griffith submerging the child. No footage reportedly showed the boy dunking Griffith’s son.

After the incident, the child left the pool with a nosebleed and told his parents what had happened. Authorities allege Griffith followed the boy and began yelling at his mother.

A man at the scene reportedly stepped in and removed Griffith from the area. It remains unclear whether Griffith’s own son was injured during the incident.

Griffith’s explanation to police

When questioned by officers, Griffith said she entered the pool to protect her son, whom she described as nonverbal and autistic. She told police she believed another child was trying to drown him.

Griffith claimed she first pulled her son out of the pool and then approached the other child’s mother.

When officers confronted her with security footage that allegedly showed her holding the boy underwater, she reportedly repeated, “I was protecting my son.”

Police noted that Griffith expressed remorse during the interview.

Griffith has been charged with cruelty to a child, classified as aggravated child abuse under Florida law. Online court records did not immediately list an attorney or plea.

She was scheduled to make her first court appearance on Monday.

Featured image credit: Osceola County Sheriff’s Office