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 took place 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.

Incredibly, the woman noticed the men walking toward her car and immediately called her husband to let him know she believed they were coming to rob her. She 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 them while the other backed away.

The woman began digging in her purse, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, the armed suspect hit her husband with his pistol, knocking him backward. What the robber didn’t expect was that the woman was retrieving her concealed carry weapon in case the man tried anything. In one swift motion, she took aim at the suspect and rapidly pulled the trigger to neutralize the threat.

Afterward, the woman calmly walked around the van that was blocking her view of the fleeing suspect, who has since been identified as Mario Ipina Duque, and found him lying on the pavement in a pool of blood. Without taking her eyes or aim off him, she remained ready to fire again if he attempted to raise his weapon.

While his wife held Duque at bay, her husband, who was also armed, came around the vehicle and ordered the robber to throw away his gun. The suspect obeyed, and the couple held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Duque was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment and is expected to recover. The Houston Police Department states that they believe the victims acted in self-defense. Fortunately, neither the couple nor the unborn child were injured.

Duque faced charges of 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, and they are continuing to search for him.

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 crucial difference was that the victim was armed.

Had the couple been unarmed, the incident would’ve undoubtedly turned out far worse for them. Fortunately, even the most vulnerable citizens have a chance of defending themselves when exercising their Second Amendment rights.