Teenager saves family from intruder attack
A man kicked down the door of an East Austin home and assaulted a family inside, but it was a teenager who saved everyone from the vicious attack.
Monday, at 2pm a 15-year-old East Austin boy stepped up against an intruder.
"I was sleeping on the couch then all of a sudden I heard a real banging sound at the door and so I got up just sat up and all of a sudden the door flung open and I saw a guy darting through," the boy said.
Police said the guy darting through was Winzell Washington a 19-year old who is more than 6 feet tall and when Washington went after the teen's aunt and sister, the boy refused to sit back and watch.
"My whole body just went to defense mode," the 15-year-old said.
The 15-year-old said he doesn't know where he got the courage, but watching a stranger attack his family gave him the strength to fight and so the teen and Washington started to brawl.
"We both got up, we went into my brother's room and when his face was towards the window, I don't know what happened, but I know I pushed him super hard into the window," the boy said.
That's how the 15-year-old came out on top. Police found Washington lying on the back patio covered in blood and arrested him for burglary of a habitation.
"That family should be very proud of that 15-year-old, but obviously there are risks involved with this so you need to take those risks into consideration. I don't recommend going one-on-one with a suspect, but in this case it worked out," Cpl. Angel Polansky of the Austin Police Department said.
The teen said Washington seemed intoxicated during the fight, and he doesn't blame the intruder for what happened, instead, he has a warning.
"I would just say, 'Get right before something bad happens to you. It could be worse next time,'" the teen said.
Winzell Washington is in jail on charges of "burglary of a habitation." His bond is set at $200,000. Police said it's possible that there will be additional charges filed against Washington as this case is investigated.