Mum tackles man suspected of spying on her daughter
Dashcam has captured the moment a protective mother crash tackled a man suspected of staring into her teenage daughter’s bedroom window as he tried to escape from police.
Police were called to a home in Houston, Texas, early on the morning of January 31 after Phyllis Pena reported a man wearing a black, hooded jumper behaving suspiciously in her yard and peering through the windows to her home.
As police arrived at the home they located a man nearby matching the description and were questioning him when he made a run for it.
Video filmed from the dashcam of a police car shows Ms Pena in a red shirt standing at the front of her home consoling her 15-year-old daughter.
As the suspect runs toward them Ms Pena’s daughter nudges her mother, and without hesitation Ms Pena moves towards the man running straight at her. She throws her arms around him and throws him onto the ground in front of the police vehicle.
As Ms Pena holds the suspect down with her daughter's help, police rush over and take the man into custody.
The mum told local news outlet Click 2 Houston she was just following her instinct.
“First instinct was just to make sure he didn’t go any further,” Ms Pena said.
“My kids are my life, and just making sure I protect them."
Lake Jackson Police identified the man as 19-year-old Zane Hawkins and charged him with possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest, and resisting arrest.
Sergeant Roy Welch praised the mother’s actions and confirmed more charges may be added to the suspect.
“It’s not very often that we have somebody that actually steps in, puts themself in harm’s way to assist in apprehending somebody,” Sargent Welch told Click 2 Houston.
Ms Pena joked that police suggested she take up a new career in professional football.
“The cop fist-bumped me and he was like, ‘Hey, so I heard the Texans are looking for a new linebacker’.”
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