Two teens have been arrested and charged in connection to the caught-on-camera “jugging” of a Houston woman who was left paralyzed as a result of the violent robbery of cash that she had withdrawn from a bank.
The arrests of Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, were announced at a press conference Friday, more than a month after Nhung Truong was brutalized the day before Valentine’s Day.
Surveillance video showed a Black male suspect wearing a red, white and black sweatshirt with an Air Jordan “Jumpman” logo, dark shorts and sneakers grab Truong, who had withdrawn an estimated $4,300 in cash from a Bank of America for a planned trip to see family in Vietnam.
Police said Harrell and Woods followed the mother of three from the bank to a nearby business by car.
Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, have been charged with aggravated robbery in the “jugging” incident on Nhung Truong last month. (Houston Police Dept.)
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.
Nhung Truong, seen in a hospital bed with her mother and children, was left paralyzed after being attacked by a robber in Houston. (GoFundMe / Linh Thuy Duong)
With assistance from the Westside gang unit, Woods was first detained for a traffic violation. During her interview with detectives, she confessed to her involvement in the robbery on Truong and also implicated Harrell, Fontenot said. Another detective had already been preparing a warrant for Harrell in a separate aggravated assault case. With assistance from the gang unit, he was located and brought into custody on that warrant. Harrell also allegedly confessed to the attack on Truong, Fontenot said.
“This type of violence will not be tolerated in our city. It is just senseless,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Friday. “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.”
“I just want people to know if you are foolish enough to commit these types of crimes, we will find you,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, added. “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.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for comment.
Nhung Truong was hospitalized for more than a month after being attacked by a robber in Houston. (Fox 26)
KTRK reported that Harrell was out on bond at the time of the attack for two charges and that he is also accused of the aggravated assault of another woman 12 days after Truong was hurt. Woods is being held on a $50,000 bond, while bond has not yet been set for Harrell, according to the outlet.
A GoFundMe account set up by Truong’s family raised more than $263,000 by Monday.
Her daughter wrote that Truong, who suffered a spinal cord injury, was discharged from the hospital Friday for what is expected to be a years-long recovery process.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
