A Texas gun owner recently rescued a 15-year-old girl from alleged sexual assault after he held a male suspect at gunpoint.
According to KHOU 11, investigators with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place just prior to midnight on July 28. Law enforcement officials noted that a male suspect followed a 15-year-old girl after she exited a public bus near an apartment complex located on Woodforest Boulevard in East Houston.
KHOU 11 reported that David Garza, a local middle school teacher and gun owner, quickly intervened when he heard the 15-year-old’s cries for help.
“I looked out the window and I saw a man beating up a woman on the ground … trying to take her clothes off,” Garza said. The middle school teacher explained that he quickly grabbed his gun before coming out of his apartment to help the young girl.
“I ran outside, asked what’s going on. The girl screamed, ‘I’m 15, help me!’ I pointed the gun at him and told him to get off her,” Garza said. Garza told KHOU 11 that the suspect was holding the 15-year-old girl by her hair.
“He took his hands off right away,” Garza added. “He went chasing after her, I went chasing after him and she got away.”
READ MORE: Sex trafficking ring busted; 14 arrested, 10 victims rescued
A neighbor who witnessed the incident told KHOU 11 that Garza prevented a tragedy by rescuing the 15-year-old girl.
“At first, I was scared, I thought she was going to get raped,” the neighbor said. “I think if he didn’t come out, she would have gotten raped.”
Andy Kahan, a Crime Stoppers victim advocate, expressed his appreciation for Garza’s quick intervention. Kahan said that the local gun owner “did the right thing.” He also warned that the suspect needs to be apprehended before he carries out another attack.
Kahan told KHOU 11, “If he’s willing to do this, it makes me wonder — is this your first time? We need to get you off the streets.”
Garza told KHOU 11 that the July 28 incident was not the first time he had to jump into action to prevent a man from hurting a child. Garza also said helping a child in a situation like that was “something anyone else would have done.”
A surveillance video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows Garza armed with a gun and confronting the male suspect. Law enforcement officials also released a picture of the suspect, which was shared on social media. According to KHOU 11, the suspect was wearing a black Reebok hoodie, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes at the time of the alleged sexual assault attempt.
