Moms are truly amazing, y'all. Their courage, quick thinking in sticky situations, and impressive multitasking abilities can get their families out of all sorts of binds. They're professionals at keeping their cool under mountains of pressure.
One California mom proved just that over the weekend when her family was approached by an armed stranger impersonating a police officer. She immediately knew something was wrong and used a particularly unusual, albeit effective tactic to fend off the gunman. According to a press release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, it was those "momma bear instincts" that expertly de-escalated the situation and led to the man's arrest.
It all started when the woman's family of six decided to stop for some carne asada tacos Sunday after spending the day at a local water park. The family picked up their meal from a taco truck and decided to eat in their minivan, which was parked near the truck…
All of a sudden, a stranger approached their van.
A man on a bicycle rode up to the family's parked minivan and started making threats against them. He proceeded to flash a gun and a badge, claiming to be an undercover police officer.
The mother suspected that something wasn't right and knew she had to get her family away from the man as soon as possible.
After handing him her purse, our hero decided to offer the fake cop a taco, which he accepted. (Hey, no one can resist a carne asada taco!)
She then calmly left the van to retrieve some napkins from the taco truck as the man continued to rifle through her purse.
Don't Look Now, But...
The woman explained to the taco truck worker that her family was being threatened and asked them to call 911, adding that they shouldn't react so as to avoid drawing attention to the van. She feared that any reaction would tip off the gunman to her pleas for help and put her family in further danger.
Both the taco truck worker and the woman's fellow customers called 911. The police arrived while the man was still beside the van.
Upon spotting police approaching the scene, the man proceeded to throw his gun into the minivan and try to jump in after it.
Luckily, the bad guy didn't get away.
The police then arrested the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Juan Rodriguez, who's now facing multiple felony charges including child endangerment, impersonating a peace officer, and outstanding warrants.
Police are also investigating whether he's connected to other crimes in the area.
People are beyond impressed by the woman's quick thinking.
The LA County Sheriff's Department hailed the woman as a "brave momma bear" in its press release about the incident. After the story broke on social media, complete strangers chimed in with praise, too.
People have expressed their admiration for the mom and, of course, tacos.
Some people (jokingly) sympathized with the gunman.
Above all, props to the momma bear for keeping it together in that intense situation. Taco 'bout a hero!
Aaaaand now we're craving tacos.
