gun barrel
© Pexels
A suspect allegedly tried to steal a car with two toddlers in the back seat on July 4 and ended up hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head.

WTSP reports that the mother was out of the car at a Shell station south of Dallas, Texas, around 10 pm when the suspect allegedly jumped into the vehicle and begin to take off. The mother jumped into the passenger seat and begged him not to take the car but he refused her request. The mother then reached into the glove compartment, pulled out a handgun, and shot the suspect in the head.

The mother said, "I'm not a killer but I do believe in defending what's mine." She added, "I hope that woke him up."

The suspect lost control of the car after being shot and crashed into a telephone pole and a wooden fence.

The suspect was taken to the hospital, where NBCDFW reports his injuries were listed as non-life threatening.

The two toddlers were not injured.