LAKE JACKSON, Texas (NewsNation Now) — The video of a Texas mom who jumped into action to take down a man suspected of staring into her daughter’s bedroom window has made waves across the internet.
Police dash camera video captured the moment Phyllis Pena tackled the man to the ground.
Before the video began, Pena told NewsNation she was on her way home from getting coffee.
“I see this guy just crouched down, trying to peek through my daughter’s window,” Pena said.
She scared him away, went inside to check on her daughter and called 911.
The man took off running a few houses down.
“He was only five houses down, just staring at my house,” she said.
Officers arrived and he took off running, and Pena said she noticed he was coming toward her. That’s when the dashcam began.
She said she didn’t have much time to think, but in her mind, she thought she couldn’t let him get away. Either he could come back to her house, or a neighbor’s house.
So, while standing in her front yard, she tackled and held him down until officers could take over.
“I didn’t really think the tackle through,” said Pena.
“Well it worked, I think you probably shocked the heck out of him,” NewsNation’s Marni Hughes replied.
Officers arrested 19-year-old Zane Hawkins. He faces several charges including resisting arrest.
Pena said she didn’t know Hawkins.
“Are you being recruited for anybody? As a bodyguard, an enforcer? I even heard people joke about NFL teams like, ‘man, she can tackle.'”
Marni Hughes
Pena said the video had led to a lot of jokes. She has a wedding coming up and someone said, “we need a bouncer at the door.”