Family of black belts saves woman from alleged sexual assault

Family of black belts saves woman from alleged sexual assault

They said they heard screaming near their taekwondo dojo.

ByTesfaye Negussie

June 20, 2024, 6:10 PM

A family of taekwondo black belts in Texas rescued a woman who was allegedly being sexually assaulted.

Han An, wife Hong An and their three children Hannah, Simon and Christian, all of whom have black belts in the Korean martial art, came to the aid Tuesday of a cell phone store employee who worked directly next to their dojo, Yong-In Tae Kwon Do in Katy, Texas, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

“When we already opened the door, the male was on top of the female already on the inside the employees’ room,” Hannah An told ABC News of the alleged attack. “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.”

“They were able to pull the female away from her attacker,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote in a statement on Facebook. “The male then turned to attack the good Samaritans. By utilizing their training and discipline, they managed to stop the assault and hold him.”

Christian An, Hong An, Han An, Hannah An and Simon An came to the rescue of a woman who was allegedly being sexually assaulted next to their taekwondo dojo.An Family Photo

The Harris County Attorney’s Office identified the alleged attacker as Alex Robinson, 19, of Katy. Robinson has been charged with felony attempted sexual assault, according to the county attorney.

Han An said that he first saw Robinson on a bicycle around 2:00 p.m. the day of the alleged attack, riding up and down the adjacent plaza and looking into different stores. About two hours later, when Han An was inside his dojo, he said he saw Robinson and the victim physically tussling outside. The eighth-degree black belt said he thought they were playfully horsing around.

Shortly thereafter, however, Han An said he heard screaming coming from the cell phone store next door. All five members of the family rushed into the store, where Han An said they found Robinson on top of the woman.

Hannah and Hong An escorted the woman out of the store and comforted her, Hannah An told ABC News, adding that the frightened woman told her they “came just in time.” Han, Simon and Christian An stayed in the cell phone store as they subdued Robinson and waited about 15 minutes for sheriff's deputies to arrive, according to Han An.

Han An told ABC News that the alleged attacker bit him twice and scratched him as he restrained him. One of his sons then attacked Robinson to stop him from assaulting his father, according to the family.

Robinson is currently in custody with bond set at $100,000, according to the Harris County Attorney's Office, and will be arraigned on Friday.