Police in Texas said a family of taekwondo instructors thwarted a sexual assault Tuesday after they heard nearby cries for help.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said police took Alex Robinson, 19, into custody Tuesday after deputies arrived at a shopping center in Katy to find members of the Yong-in taekwondo dojo restraining the suspect.
Instructor Simon An told CBS affiliate KHOU that the family was coming back from lunch around 4 p.m. when they heard screaming from inside the Cricket Wireless store.
Mr. An said his sister, Hannah, who is also an instructor, went inside the business and noticed a man on top of a struggling woman.
That’s when Mr. An said his father, Grandmaster Han An, leaped into action. The patriarch quickly subdued the attacker with the help of his youngest son, Christian.
“He just kept him in the corner, he just kept pushing down,” Simon An told KHOU. “Automatic self-defense, automatic taekwondo style.”
Han An and his son held the suspect down for 10 minutes until police could arrive.
Meanwhile, Hannah An and her mother took the victim to their training center so she could recuperate.
Sheriff Gonzalez credited the family’s “training and discipline” with stopping the suspect and holding him for arrest. The family of five are all fourth-degree black belts in taekwondo.
Mr. Robinson is facing charges of attempted sexual assault, unlawful detention and assault.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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