Simon An, a 20-year-old college student from Katy, Texas, has been practicing Taekwondo since he was 4 years old under the guidance of his father, who was a former member of the South Korean Navy Marine Corps and a martial arts master. On a late afternoon in late June, Simon’s routine was disrupted by terrifying screams.
According to reports by The Washington Post, Simon’s father, Han An, an 8th-degree black belt, spotted a man riding a bike nearby around 2 p.m. Later, around 4 p.m. after the family finished lunch and returned to their martial arts studio, he saw the same man carrying a young woman but didn’t think much of it. However, when the martial arts master saw the man taking the woman into a room, he felt uneasy.
Two screams followed, with the second one sounding more urgent. The screams woke up Simon, a 5th-degree black belt, who was casually playing on his phone at the time. Realizing it was a cry for help, he sprang into action.
“Yes, we heard the second scream, we knew it was a distress call,” he told the radio station.
He mentioned that his father led the charge to intervene. The master rushed into the store, followed closely by his family, where they saw the suspect, a 19-year-old male, allegedly sexually assaulting the woman. The An family immediately subdued and pinned him to the ground.
“I saw a man pinning a woman down, that woman was on the ground,” Simon recounted afterwards.
The martial arts master “just had him pinned in a corner, just continuously pressing down,” said the eldest An sibling, while the suspect “was struggling to get out — he bit my dad.”
His 22-year-old sister, Hannah An, a 5th-degree black belt as well, described the action as “instinctively defensive, instinctively Taekwondo style.”
She, along with their 55-year-old mother, Hong An, helped the victim out of the store and into their martial arts studio. “I needed to make sure she was okay, because she needs help after this,” Hannah said.
Their 18-year-old brother, Christian An, and their siblings, all 5th-degree black belts, helped block the door, preventing the suspect from escaping before the police arrived.
Representatives from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office soon arrived at the scene, confirming the suspect as Alex Robins. He was apprehended by the police while still being pinned down.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez congratulated the martial arts family, publicly praising them on Facebook and sharing a photo of the An family in their Taekwondo training attire, proudly displaying Korean and American flags alongside a tiger symbol at their studio. The banner on the back wall read: “Taekwondo Tenets: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit.”
“They thwarted the attack and captured the suspect with their training and discipline,” the sheriff wrote on Facebook. “Representatives from the police department are charging the suspect with attempted sexual assault and unlawful detainment on behalf of the victim and assault on others on behalf of the martial arts instructors.”
He added, “Thank you to the Longin Taekwondo family for their swift action in defense of others.”
Despite all the excitement, Grandmaster An of the World Taekwondo Federation seemed unfazed, filled with a sense of satisfaction. He told the TV station, “Of course, I’m very proud of my family.”
When asked if she thought of her family as heroes, Hannah An, a graduate of Houston University’s sport management program, humbly responded, “Everyone calls us that, but I think anyone can do it.”
The original article titled “Texas Taekwondo Family With Black Belts Hear Screams Next Door—Pin Assault Suspect for Sheriff” was published on the English Epoch Times website.