Police dashcam captures mom tackling man accused of peeping into home

A police dashcam caught the moment a Texas mom tackled a man who allegedly tried to look into her 15-year-old daughter’s bedroom window.

According to a press release from the Lake Jackson Police Department, officers responded to a report early in the morning on Jan. 31 of “a suspicious male in the area that had looked inside a window of a house.”

Phyllis Pena told Houston NBC affiliate KPRC-TV that she made the call after the man attempted to look into her daughter’s window, adding, “My kids are my life and just making sure I protect them, pretty much.” 

After police located a man matching the description, authorities say the man attempted to run away from officers.

The suspect, later identified by Police Sgt. Roy Welch as 19-year-old Zane Hawkins, then allegedly ran toward the front of Pena’s house, where she was standing outside. 

Dashcam footage published by KPRC-TV on Thursday showed the moment where Pena moved in and tackled the man to the ground. 

A Texas woman tackled a man for trying to look into her 15-year-old daughter’s bedroom window. https://t.co/OZzFaRAiIS

— NBC29 (@NBC29) February 11, 2021

Pena and her daughter then reportedly helped hold down the suspect until officers were able to detain him and take him into custody, according to the local station.

Police said in the release that Hawkins was booked into the Lake Jackson Police Department Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest and resisting arrest, with the potential for additional charges.

Welch commended Pena for stopping the man, telling KPRC-TV, “It’s not very often that we have somebody that actually steps in, puts themselves in harm’s way to assist in apprehending somebody.” 

Pena said that the responding officer “fist bumped” her after she tackled the suspect, and jokingly said, “Hey, so I heard the Texans are looking for a new linebacker.”