Dallas teacher mugged in elementary school lobby
DALLAS - An attack on a teacher at a Dallas elementary school was stopped by the principal and another teacher.
The mugging happened in front of students at Gill Elementary School in Far East Dallas this past Thursday.
One of the school’s math teachers was in the lobby talking to some student when all of a sudden a man ran up to her and knocked her down, trying to take her purse.
Principal Shawki Freelon and another teacher saw what happened and came to her rescue. They also held the man until police arrived.
“I thought I saw somebody running by the window and so I wasn’t sure so immediately my instinct was to get up and run and see what was going on,” Freelon said.
Teacher Jorge Alvarado got pushed out of the way as the man ran into the building.
"He pushed me and then he run through that part of the building. There was a teacher standing in this area and this person then grabbed the teacher by the arm. When I noticed that I thought something was wrong so I run right away to help her," he said.
Alvarado said his reaction to what happened was sort of instinct. He didn't know if the suspect was armed or not but he didn't think twice about jumping on the suspect.
"When you see that the teacher was in danger, and not only the teacher but the kids that were around, you don't think too much. You just go and react and try to release that situation," he said.
"At the same time, we're telling the teachers to take the kids that were sitting in this area into the door. And they took them into this door right here and they took them to the back into the auditorium area to keep them safe. We called 911 and 911 responded really quick. They came within about five minutes of us holding him down on the ground," Principal Freelon added.
Police arrested 30-year-old Vincent Henderson and charged him with robbery. He’s still in the Dallas County jail with his bond set at $2,500.
The teacher who was knocked to the ground suffered minor injuries. She took a day off but is now back at work again.