Taekwondo family saves woman from attempted sexual assault, police say

A family of taekwondo instructors in Texas helped stop a man from attacking a woman and kept him subdued until authorities arrived, police said.

The An family of Cypress, Texas – owners and operators of the Yong-In Taekwondo Academy in the nearby Houston suburb of Katy – were going about their daily routine at the dojo on Tuesday, June 18, when they heard a woman screaming.

Simon An, 20, told The Washington Post and local CBS affiliate KHOU that he and his father, Han An, 59, immediately took action. The couple ran into a cell phone store next door and found a man on top of a woman, putting his hand over her mouth and touching her, Simon told the Post Office.

Han, an 8th black belt, grandmaster and veteran of the South Korean military, tried to hold the man down and prevent him from leaving, Simon said.

“He just kept him in the corner and kept pushing him down. Automatic self-defense, automatic taekwondo style,” Simon told KHOU, recalling how his father prevented the alleged attacker from escaping.

Simon also claimed that the man bit his father during the fight. The student said he immediately stepped in to help Han and told the post that he kicked and hit the alleged attacker.

“The adrenaline was through the roof. No limits,” Simon told the newspaper. “I was shaking a little bit.”

His mother Hong, 55, and his sister Hannah, 22, brought the alleged victim to safety in their dojo, and his brother Christian, 18, locked the entrance to the building.

“(We) made sure she was OK because that’s what she needed after that experience – after that situation that came out of nowhere,” Hannah told KHOU.

According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the family was still holding the suspect when police arrived at the scene.

“Through their training and discipline, they were able to stop the assault and detain him,” Gonzalez wrote in a post on X on Wednesday, June 19. “The officers obtained charges of attempted sexual assault and false imprisonment on behalf of the victim and charges of assault on behalf of the trainers.”

The sheriff also praised the family as a “group of good Samaritans” who rushed to “save the situation.”

“Thank you to the Yong-In Dojo for your quick action to protect others,” Gonzalez concluded.

Gonzalez later identified the alleged attacker as 19-year-old Alex Robinson. KHOU reported that Robinson appeared in court that same evening on sexual assault charges and his attorney requested a low bail because he has mental health issues. The judge set bail at $100,000.

The Ans told both media outlets that although they had trained for years to improve their fighting skills, they hoped that someone – regardless of their black belt status – would intervene.

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“If a normal person saw something like this, I would hope that they would go and help,” Simon told the post“Just help the person in need.”

Han added: post that his children have been learning Taekwondo since the age of four or five and are taking their fifth black belt exam this weekend.

“My life is taekwondo. … I am very proud of my family,” he told KHOU.

Hannah also spoke out, telling the local broadcaster that while she was grateful to those who called the family heroes, she hoped anyone who witnessed such an attack would intervene.

“I thank everyone who calls us that, but I still think anyone can do it,” she said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Rainn.org.