A woman forced her way into a house and started attacking an entire family -- and a toddler -- with a crash helmet.

The intruder even lashed out at a three-year-old boy when she stormed into the house on Douglas Drive, Smith's Parish, yesterday morning. Police confirmed last night they had identified a suspect and were waiting to question her.

But one of the victims, American visitor Marion Williams, complained to detectives that the woman had not been arrested after the incident at 10.15 a.m.

She said the young boy had not suffered serious injries but her own 16-year-old daughter suffered a black eye.

And Mrs. Williams, who also suffered cuts and bruises, complained Police were not taking the matter seriously enough.

"What happened to us was absolutely disgusting,'' she said. "This woman just stormed into the house shouting obscenitites and flailing this crash helmet about.

"She was striking me with blows about my head as I was trying to fend her off.

"Then she kept hitting me on my arm and now it's badly bruised. My cousin's three-year-old grandson was also hit in the head with the helmet.

"And my own children, who rushed to my aid, were hurt as well. My 16-year-old daughter suffered a black eye.

"We finally managed to get this crazed woman out of the house and she eventually ran off -- but only after telling us that she would be back to `rain on us'.'' Mrs. Williams, who flies back to Georgia tomorrow, has been staying in Bermuda with her cousin Louise Armstrong.

She told St. George's detectives the woman who stormed into her cousin's house was black and aged about 30 with light brown skin and short curly hair.

"What was incredible about this was that she didn't steal anything. None of us knew her.

"And although this probably only lasted about five minutes, it seemed like an eternity.

"She was just absolutely crazy but when I phoned the Police later on to ask what had happened, they said they had a suspect but hadn't arrested her.

"I want to know why this person wasn't arrested. It seems like this isn't being taken seriously.'' A Police spokeswoman insisted the inquiry was being taken seriously but she said officers had no powers of arrest in this case.

She said the crime was not an "arrestable'' offence because of the nature of the injuries.

But the spokeswoman added that Police would issue a summons if they were convinced they had found the culprit.

"This incident did take place and the lady, who is from the US, made a complaint about the way the investigation was being carried out and the fact that nobody had been arrested.

"Our procedures are not the same as they are in the US and because this offence did not cause serious injury, we had no powers of arrest.

"All we can do is summons a person to court and that means finding the right person in the first place.''