Preparedness
Texas Teacher Turns Hero: Gun Intervention Saves Teen from Assault
A middle school educator in Texas, David Garza, is now considered a hero after he courageously intervened during an alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl that unfolded right outside his Houston home. The entire event was captured on the surveillance cameras installed at his residence.
Garza, recounting the incident to KHOU-TV, shared how it began shortly before midnight on July 28. He detailed, “I looked out the window, and I saw a man beating up a woman on the ground … trying to take her clothes off.” Upon witnessing the distressing scene, Garza knew he had to step in and swiftly grabbed his pistol.
“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 recalled. The CCTV footage, part of KHOU’s video report, can be seen showing Garza aiming his gun at the attacker, who, according to Garza, was clutching the girl by her hair.
Garza stated, “He took his hands off right away,” and added, “He went chasing after her, I went chasing after him, and she got away.”
The assailant had tracked the teenager from a city bus before launching his attack. Though he managed to escape, law enforcement was able to obtain a description and a snapshot from the bus footage that showed the possible suspect. He was wearing a black hoodie with a white Reebok logo, white tennis shoes, and blue jeans.
A witness to the attack, a neighboring woman, expressed her conviction that without Garza’s intervention, the teenager would have been raped by the perpetrator.
Garza confessed that this wasn’t the first time he had to pursue someone to protect a child. He modestly stated, “I think it’s something anyone else would have done — come help a child.”
Despite the bravado shown, Garza admitted his fear during the incident. He said, “I was scared, too, I’m not gonna lie.” However, he emphasized, “But she needed help more than I was afraid, so I had to do it.” This story serves as a stark reminder that sometimes, courage isn’t about the absence of fear, but the determination to act despite it.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
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