A heroic 12-year-old Texas boy wrestled a knife away from his older half-brother who started stabbing their great-grandparents during a heated argument, according to authorities.
The boy, only identified as Sacha, sibling Lucian Adrian Johnston, 20, and their 92-year-old great-grandmother and 76-year-old great-grandfather were in a car in the city of Katy on Sunday when an argument erupted, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and local station ABC 13.
The elderly couple told Johnston that he could no longer live with them due to concerns over his recent behavior, which sent him into a rage, the station reported.
He started stabbing both from the back seat, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted.
Both survived the attack — thanks to the quick actions of Sacha, Gonzalez said.
“The real hero in this ordeal is a 12-year-old that was also in the backseat at the time of the brutal attack,” the sheriff wrote. “He managed to wrestle the knife away from Johnston & threw it out the window, which successfully stopped the attack.”
Sacha told ABC 13 that he grabbed his half-brother from behind.
“I pulled him backwards trying to get him away from Grandma,” Sacha told the outlet. “But I did grab the knife. I held that to his neck also. He bent back my finger, which is still sore right now.”
“He head-butted me, which I have a loose tooth from that, but I do not really care,” he added.
Johnston took off once the car came to a stop, according to the report.
“So I’m still looking at the knife in my hand, throw it, shut and lock the door,” the pre-teen said. “I yell at [my great-grandma] to shut and lock her door.”
Both adults drove themselves to the hospital, where they were treated and released, and they are expected to make a full recovery, according to the local station.
Authorities busted Johnston on Monday morning, charging him with aggravated assault, after working “around the clock,” Gonzalez said.
He was set to appear in court overnight but did not because he’s undergoing mental health evaluations behind bars, the local outlet reported. He is being held on $80,000 bond.
“This very easily could’ve resulted in two murders,” Gonzalez said. “Surely, this entire family, including the 12-year-old, has new trauma to process.”