Snohomish County sheriff's officers say they arrested a woman accused of firing a .45-caliber handgun toward a group of young men lighting New Year's fireworks. Deputies say the woman opened fire when laughter greeted her warning to stop making noise.

The Daily Herald reports ( http://is.gd/IMH7yR) that one bullet hit a 24-year-old neighbor in his left thigh. The 54-year-old Lake Stevens, Wash.-area woman was arrested for investigation of assault.

Tired of problems in her neighborhood, deputies say the woman told them she confronted a group of young men lighting fireworks outside her home and threatened to shoot the next person to set one off. She says one man laughed at her and she fired "in the general direction of the crowd."

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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com