A family of black belts in the Korean martial art of taekwondo saved a woman from an alleged sexual assault earlier this week, police in Texas say.
Grandmaster Han An, wife Hong An and their three children Hannah, Simon and Christian, were able to stop a man from the alleged attack when they came to the aid of an employee working in a cell phone store next to their dojang [a training hall], according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“When we opened the door, the male was on top of the female already on the inside of the employees’ room,” Hannah An told ABC News of the alleged attack, which happened on Tuesday in the city of Katy, near Houston.
“So, by that moment, my dad grabbed him, dragged him out, and the girl was really, really crying, desperately crying, and then she ran towards me. She needed the comfort, the calming down, and then she wanted to go away from that situation.”
In an series of posts to X, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote about the family’s good deed.
“They were able to pull the female away from her attacker,” he recounted, adding that “the male then turned to attack the Good Samaritans. By utilizing their training and discipline, they managed to stop the assault and hold him.”
The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Alex Robinson, was found pinned on the ground, Gonzalez wrote.
Hannah told local outlet KHOU that while their family is being hailed as heroes, it was a series of actions that any bystander would have taken.
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“I thank everybody who’s calling us that, but still, I think anybody can do it.”
Simon told the Washington Post that his dad, a 59-year old eight-degree black belt, “led the charge” when they heard the woman’s screams, and that his sister “was right behind him.”
Simon said his despite his father’s ability to grab the man’s shirt, the man was quick to slip out of the garment. His father then grabbed the alleged assailant’s pants and kept one of his arms straight to block any attacks. His dad was then able to pin him down.
From there, the youngest son, 18-year-old Christian, locked the front door of the store, while Simon helped subdue the alleged attacker by kicking and punching him in the chin when he tried to bite his father on the arm. His 55-year-old mother, Hong, helped the victim to safety next door in their taekwondo school, he said.
Han pinned the man down for 10 minutes until police arrived, according to NBC News.
“My dad is strong,” Simon said.
Robinson now faces charges of attempted sexual assault, assault and unlawful detention. He is currently in custody with bond set at US$100,000, according to the Harris County Attorney’s Office, and will be arraigned on Friday.
“Thank you to the Yong-In dojo [sic] for your quick action in protecting others,” Gonzalez wrote in his post.
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