HOUSTON – A Texas mother has received praise from police after she tackled a fleeing suspect who she believed looked into her teenage daughter’s bedroom window.
Phyllis Pena told KPRC, KSAT’s sister station in Houston, that she acted on her “first instinct” after she arrived at her Lake Jackson home on Jan. 31 to find the man peeking in the window.
When the man ran off, she called the police, she said.
The man, later identified as 19-year-old Zane Hawkins, was spotted nearby when officers arrived, Lake Jackson police told KPRC.
Hawkins attempted to flee and began to run toward Pena and her daughter, who were standing outside their home.
That’s when Pena made her move.
“First instinct was just to make sure he didn’t go any further,” Pena told KPRC.
Dashcam footage shows Pena going after Hawkins as her daughter came to help. Officers caught up to them and placed Hawkins under arrest.
“The cop fist-bumped me and he was like, ‘Hey, so I heard the Texans are looking for a new linebacker,’” Pena said.
Hawkins was booked on Feb. 1 and charged with resisting arrest, evading arrest and possession, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
His bond was set at $15,000, records show.
Lake Jackson police Sgt. Roy Welch told KPRC that more charges could be filed pending the investigation.
“It’s not very often that we have somebody that actually steps in, puts themself in harm’s way to assist in apprehending somebody,” Welch said.
Pena’s daughter was not in her room at the time Hawkins was spotted, according to KPRC. She added that her children knew Hawkins but did not know him personally.
The mother said she was “just making sure I protect them.”
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