Thugs attack a father and his family in armed carjacking - but dad was armed too

A Houston family is thankful that a violent altercation ended without their young children hurt, and it's thanks to the quick thinking of their armed father.

Here's what happened:

A father stopped by a taco truck at about 7 p.m. to pick up a meal for his family including his wife and four young children ages 3 to 8 years old.

When he returned to the car with his taco order, a gunman accosted him and demanded the family leave the car. He had an accomplice with him.

"My daughter had told me mom I thought he was going to kill daddy," the mother told ABC 13 Houston. "My daughter said that. My 8-year-old."

"Oh my gosh. It was horrible," she continued. "You know he had the gun to my husband's head. It felt like a nightmare. I'm like I can't believe this is happening."

The father and his family got out of the car, but as one of the carjackers was busy, the father went around to the back of the car and retrieved his own weapon.

"I always carry a weapon in the cars," he explained. "As I started walking back, he jumps in the car. So when he jumped in the car, I went around the back of the car. I pulled the gun out. I loaded it. I put my hands inside the car and shot him."

He told ABC 13 that he believes he shot one in the hand. After the gunshot, both attackers fled the scene.

The altercation was captured on surveillance video:

"Watch-two men hanging outside a store ran for cover as shots were fired during carjacking in top left of screen," tweeted reporter Jessica Wiley.

Watch-two men hanging outside a store ran for cover as shots were fired during carjacking in top left of screen. Dinnertime. North #Houston #ABC13 pic.twitter.com/UdhaP5wow7

— Jessica Willey (@ImJessicaWilley) February 8, 2018

The family believes the attackers were drawn to the expensive decorative "swanga" car wheels on their car.

Houston police are looking for suspects, who are described as Hispanic teenagers.