Just weeks before her due date, a pregnant Texas woman was approached by two armed robbers. However, they were horrified to discover that the expecting mother wasn’t as helpless as they thought.
Houston police have praised a courageous woman for defending herself against two armed robbers outside of a gas station on the 8600 block of Fulton. The incident occurred in the parking lot around 5 p.m. when a pair of men holding guns approached the woman in her car after her husband had stepped inside the store, The Police Tribune reported.
Incredibly, the woman noticed the men walking toward her car and immediately called her husband and told him she believed they were coming to rob her. The woman stepped outside her vehicle to meet her husband just as one of the armed men — later identified as 39-year-old Mario Ipina Duque — continued toward the couple while the other backed away.
The woman began digging in her purse, anticipating the threat. Suddenly, the armed suspect hit her husband with his pistol, knocking him backward. What the robber didn’t know was that the woman was fetching her concealed carry weapon in case the man decided to try anything. In one swift move, she took aim at the suspect, rapidly pulling the trigger to neutralize the threat.
Then, the woman calmly walked around the van that was blocking her view of the fleeing suspect, who has since been identified as 39-year-old Mario Ipina Duque, and found him lying on the pavement in a pool of blood. Without taking her eyes or aim off him, she prepared to fire again in the event that he attempted to raise his weapon.
While his wife held Duque at bay, the husband, who was also armed, came around the vehicle and ordered the robber to throw away his gun. The suspect obeyed, and the pair then held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
Duque was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. He is expected to recover. The Houston Police Department announced that they believe the victims acted in self-defense. Luckily, neither the couple nor the unborn child were injured.
Duque was charged with possession of a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and aggravated assault. He sustained several gunshot wounds and was still in the hospital receiving treatment when he was charged.
Investigators released photos of the second suspect, his license plate number, and his weapon. Police said he sped off in a green Dodge Charger as they continued to search for the man.
The video captured a shocking and terrifying scenario that could happen to anyone. The situation had all the elements to create a tragic end: a vulnerable victim, a violent suspect, and a deadly weapon. The critical difference was that the victim was armed.
Were the couple unarmed, the incident would’ve undoubtedly turned out far worse for them. Fortunately, even the most helpless of citizens have a chance of defending themselves when putting their Second Amendment rights to use.