In a situation as dangerous as an armed robbery, it's hard to know what you would do as the pressure mounts - or what the right thing to do would be. After all, momentary heroism could lead to some dire consequences when misfortune strikes. However, this eight-year-old girl had the courage to jump into action during a situation just like this.
Brielle was playing on the driveway outside her home in Cavite, Philippines, when four gunmen arrived, holding her parents at gunpoint as they raided the home. The men were posing as DVD sellers as they approached her father, as he got out of his car after coming home from work. Three of them held the family hostage as the fourth ran into the house to steal their valuables.
As they tried to flee the scene, Brielle chased after them, tackling one of them and trying to stop another as he was getting on his moped. The first man she lunged at, who had a silver semi-automatic handgun in hand, was holding a bag of their possessions. She ripped open the bag and tried to gather as much as she could, as he tried to escape.
Soon after, she got to her feet and sprinted after the robbers, even hurling herself at them for a second time as they mounted their bikes. She was soon kicked to the ground, and had to be taken to hospital with cuts, bruises and a broken nose. However, she felt no sense of defeat even after two nights in hospital, as she reportedly said: "I'll get them next time."
You can see the CCTV footage of the incident in the video below:
Brielle said that she wasn't afraid of the men, who she labelled as "cowards". She then added:
"I'm so angry they stole my daddy's money. If I ever see them again they'll be sorry.
"The money belonged to my family. I wanted to help them. They worked hard for it."
Her aunt Bhing, who also lives in the same compound, has said that the family were shaken by the incident but were not intimated. "Thank God we were safe and all they took was money. It's just money that can be earned, now they can wait for karma. My niece is really brave."
It is believed that the attackers had planned in advance, knowing the time that Brielle's father would be arriving back from work that day. According to Mail Online, a spokesman later said:
"We have collected the CCTV from the family and we are studying the video footage to try to identify the offenders.
"We're also reviewing the previous days and other CCTV cameras in the area to see if the gang had shown up there before."
One thing is for sure, the men responsible aren't going to try to take on Brielle again anytime soon.
