Dothan police told WTVY that family members took the girl's 10-year-old brother to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center on Friday night with serious burns on his body.
Police investigator James Harvey told the news station that investigators believe both siblings were at their family’s house when the 12-year-old girl “sprayed or poured hair spritz on her brother’s back and ignited the substance.”
Harvey told AL.com that another person was home when the incident occurred, but he could not elaborate.
"The girl was arrested and charged with first-degree assault," Harvey told the Dothan Eagle. "At this time, due to her age, she has been released into her parents' custody ... with mandatory guidelines and rules that must be followed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources. At a later date she will go before the Houston County Juvenile Courts."
Because of the ages of the children, police declined to identify them.
Harvey declined to speculate on a motive behind the attack, although he told WTVY that it involved "foul play."
The boy is expected to recover, AL.com reported.
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