Simon Ang had just arrived at his family's taekwondo class in Katy, Texas, with his parents, sister and brother on Tuesday afternoon when he heard a scream so loud it was reminiscent of a horror movie.
At the time, the Ahn family, all of whom are taekwondo instructors, sprang into action, prevented a sexual assault from taking place in a neighboring store, and handed the perpetrator over to the police.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the account in a Facebook post and thanked the Ang family, calling them a “group of good Samaritans.”
Alex Robinson, 19, has been charged with felony attempted sexual assault in connection with the attack, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
“Using their training and discipline, they were able to thwart the assault and successfully detain him until police arrived,” Sheriff Gonzalez said of the Ang family.
The Ahn family had arrived at Yongin Taekwondo School at around 4pm on Tuesday to prepare for the evening's classes. Parents Han and Hong An were still in the car park when they heard high-pitched screams coming from the shop next door, said eldest son Simon Ahn, 20.
Moments earlier, Han An had seen a man and woman appearing to embrace inside the shop, but when he looked again he saw nothing and thought maybe it was just a prank, Simon An said.
When the family opened the dojo (school), Simon Ang said they all heard a loud “scream like in a horror movie.” The Ang family ran to the next room, but no one was inside. Sensing something was wrong, Hung Ang opened the door to what Simon Ang said was the staff room at the back of the store. There he found a man with a woman on top of him and his hand over his mouth.
“My dad just jumped in,” Simon Ang said. “He didn't care if he had a weapon or if they were going to do anything to him. He just pulled him out.”
Hung An, 59, grabbed the assailant by the shirt collar, dragged him out of the staff room and pushed him into a corner of the store, Simon Ang said. The assailant scratched, bit and punched Hung An. The two men were about the same size and Hung An used his body weight to hold him down for 10 minutes until police arrived, Simon Ang said.
Simon Ang made sure all the exits were closed to stop the attacker from getting up and harming his father. Simon Ang's mother, sister and an employee from another nearby store, who had called 911, took the victim to a taekwondo class, Simon Ang said.
When deputies arrived on the scene, “Yongin Taekwondo instructors were holding a male on the ground,” according to a Facebook post from Sheriff Gonzales. The instructors heard screaming next door and “witnessed a male attempting to sexually assault a female,” the post said.
“They were able to separate the female from the attacker,” he wrote, “and the male then began attacking the good Samaritan.”
The suspect is being held in the Harris County Jail on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, according to the sheriff's office.
Simon Ang said his family started a taekwondo school 17 years ago. He began training at age four and said everyone in his family is a teacher. His father has an eighth-degree black belt.
His father always instilled in him the importance of respect for others, discipline and self-control.
If you have power, “use that power to protect people,” Simon Ang said.