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Mom tackles peeping Tom suspected of looking into teenage daughter's window

Phyllis Pena also held him down until police caught up and made an arrest.
/ Source: TODAY

A Lake Jackson, Texas mom took matters into her own hands when she tracked down a man suspected of peeking into her 15-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

A police dashboard camera captured Phyllis Pena knocking down the 19-year-old suspect while he tried to flee from officers. She then held him down until police caught up to her on the scene.

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Pena said she caught the suspect looking into her daughter’s bedroom.

"The cop fist bumped me and he was like, 'Hey, so I heard the Texans are looking for a new linebacker,’" Pena said, referring to Houston’s NFL team.

KPRC, the NBC affiliate in Houston, reports the incident occurred on Jan. 31 and the man is Zane Hawkins, who was booked into jail and is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest and resisting arrest.

Pena said her children know who the suspect is, although they don’t know him personally. She also said she was simply doing what she had to do to keep her children safe.

“My kids are my life and (I'm) just making sure I protect them,” Pena told the station.

“It’s not very often that we have somebody that actually steps in, puts themself in harm’s way to assist in apprehending somebody,” Sgt. Roy Welch said.