Two Houston area teenagers were arrested following a robbery that left the victim paralyzed. The victim, which was caught on camera, shows the teens attacking a woman as she left her bank after withdrawing cash.
According to Fox News, arrests of Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, were made due to their connection to the crime, which left the victim in the hospital. The woman, Nhung Truong, was seen on surveillance video leaving the bank after withdrawing $4,300 on Valentine’s Day before a trip to visit family in Vietnam. The video captures a black male firmly grabbing Truong and beginning to jostle for the money. The teens allegedly followed the victim by car after she exited the bank to find a more secluded area to attack. Fox News wrote:
“Harrell allegedly got out of the vehicle driven by Woods and assaulted the victim. The video shows how the 17-year-old first took Truong’s wallet and started to run away, but upon realizing that he didn’t have the money that Truong withdrew from the bank, he immediately turned around and tried to wrestle away the envelope of money that she was holding. Harrell then picked her up and slammed her down onto the concrete, causing severe injuries, Houston police Detective Tyrus Fontenot said. Surveillance video helped detectives determine the license plate of the vehicle seen leaving the scene of the crime.”
Following the attack, Woods was caught due to a traffic violation, following which she confessed to being a part of this heinous robbery. Harrell was already under investigation for a separate aggravated assault case and was brought into custody on that warrant. It is alleged that he has also confessed to the crime. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner spoke about the attack, saying:
“This type of violence will not be tolerated in our city. It is just senseless. I just spoke to Ms. Truong about an hour ago and assured her, and I want the city of Houston to stand behind us. These are very serious injuries. The recovery is very long. And I want her to know the love of our agency but also our great citizens in this city.”
Houston Democrat Mayor Sylvester Turner also offered strong words for the criminals and for any others who may be considering a similar crime:
“I just want people to know if you are foolish enough to commit these types of crimes, we will find you. It may take a few days. It may take a few weeks. But we will find you, and we’ll get you off the streets. Then I will trust the other parts of our system, criminal justice system, to make sure that they remain off the streets, so it doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
The recovery process for Truong is expected to be a year long, according to her daughter. Woods is being held on a $50,000 bond, but her male counterpart does not yet have bail set. Given the crime’s severity, both youngsters may be in for a brutal wake-up call.
UPDATE: Booking photos of Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy'Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, now charged with aggravated robbery in this jugging incident.#hounews #OneSafeHouston https://t.co/05ZaqmxbAB pic.twitter.com/d8WnjCgkWF
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) March 17, 2023
Featured image: from Houston Police
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