There is something to be said for people willing to help others, even when it may be dangerous. Good Samaritans like these are the type of people who help communities feel safer. Recently, a teacher in Houston, Texas, showed the power of community when he stepped in to save a teenage girl from being sexually assaulted in front of his home.
This was not a student of his, but he believed it was his duty as a person who could step in and help to do so. He knew that even though it could be dangerous to get involved, he would feel worse if he didn't. That kind of quick thinking is what kept the girl from further harm.
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The girl was out late when the incident happened.
Just before midnight July 28, a 15-year-old girl was followed by a man after she got off a METRO bus near a Houston-area apartment complex, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
David Garza heard the teen crying out for help, and he immediately sprang into action. "I looked out the window and I saw a man beating up a woman on the ground … trying to take her clothes off," he told KHOU.
He did the only thing he could in the moment.
After hearing the cry for help, Garza grabbed his gun and ran out of his home to her aid, despite not being dressed. Camera footage shows that exact moment.
"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. According to his account, the man had the young woman by the hair.
Garza is rightfully being praised as a hero for his actions.
"He took his hands off right away. He went chasing after her, I went chasing after him and she got away," Garza said of his interaction with the assailant.
A neighbor overheard the commotion and told KHOU that Garza saved the girl from unspeakable harm. "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."
Garza shared that this isn't the first time he has stopped a man from harming a child — and it's something he'd do again if necessary. "I think it's something anyone else would have done — come help a child," he said.
Authorities are working hard to find the man.
Andy Kahan, a victim advocate for Crime Stoppers, is grateful for Garza and his quick thinking.
"I take my hat off to you — you did the right thing," Kahan said via KHOU. He also made it clear that the man who assaulted the girl needs to be found quickly before he can harm anyone else.
"If he's willing to do this, it makes me wonder — is this your first time? We need to get you off the streets," Kahan said.
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Video footage of the assailant exists.
Thankfully, the whole incident was caught on camera, and police investigators have been able to get a photo of the man who was assaulting the teenager. According to the investigators, the man was wearing a black hoodie with a white Reebok logo, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes at the time of the attack.
