A 10-year-old girl stabbed her dad while he was assaulting her mom, Texas sheriff says

A Texas man was arrested after his 10-year-old daughter stabbed him during an alleged assault on her mother, authorities said Thursday.

The 27-year-old suspect was charged with assault on a family member, a misdemeanor, according to a complaint filed in Harris County Criminal Court.

A protection order banning the suspect from contacting the victim was also filed Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as the victim’s husband and the girl’s father.

The girl intervened during the alleged assault at an apartment complex north of downtown Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement Wednesday.

He was stabbed in the leg and hospitalized in fair condition, the sheriff said. The mother and her daughter were in good condition, a sheriff’s spokesperson said.

“Awful situation for a 10-yr-old little girl to have to witness and experience,” Gonzalez said. “Children who witness the abuse of their mothers, fathers, or other family members, are impacted.”

He added that the scene had been cleared and a follow-up investigation was continuing.