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A brave Texas middle school teacher is being praised as a hero on social media after saving a teenage girl from being sexually assaulted outside his home.
David Garza was in his apartment when he heard a 15-year-old girl screaming for help outside on July 28.
“I looked out the window and I saw a man beating up a woman on the ground,” Garza told KHOU.
Realising the suspect appeared to be “trying to take her clothes off,” he immediately grabbed his gun and ran outside to confront the attacker, who by this point had the teenage girl by her hair.
The assailant had followed the teen from a bus into a gated apartment complex in Houston’s east side around midnight, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“I ran outside, asked what’s going on,” Garza told reporters. “The girl screamed, ‘I’m 15, help me!’ I pointed the gun at him and told him to get off her.”
Video footage obtained by KHOU shows a shirtless Garza with his handgun pointed towards the assailant, who he says immediately let go of the girl.
Social media users have come out in force to thank Garza for his bravery.
“Not all heroes wear capes, some don’t wear anything,” reads one X post.
Another user commented, “Thank you my man.... You are a hero!”
Garza gave chase to the suspect, who had started to run after the girl as she sprinted towards a friend’s apartment.
A neighbour, claiming to have witnessed the scene unfold from her window, told the outlet she believes Garza saved the teenager from what would have been a horrific fate.
“At first, I was scared because I literally thought she was about to get raped. I think if he didn’t come out, she probably would have gotten raped,” she said.
Officials are now searching for the suspect and have released a photo of a man wearing a black hoodie with a white Reebok logo, blue jeans and white sneakers.
