Family members of two teenage girls in San Bernardino County, Calif., were able to overpower and pin down a convicted sex offender who reportedly sneaked into the girls' room and tried to sexually assault them, according to the police, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Derek Lamont Fowler of Los Angeles was charged Tuesday with burglary and lewd and lascivious acts with a child for the attack, which occurred Thursday, the Times notes.
According to the news site, San Bernardino police said that Fowler entered the backyard of the home shortly after 1 a.m. and climbed through the teenagers' bedroom window. He allegedly tried to sexually assault the girls, the police said, but relatives heard the girls screaming and burst into the room to find Fowler inside.
The family members were able to overpower Fowler and hold him until the officers came and arrested him.
The San Bernardino Police Department said that Fowler is a registered sex offender who was convicted in August 2010 for sexual battery and sentenced to 40 days in jail. He was ordered to serve three years' probation and was later convicted twice for failing to register as a sex offender.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.