Two teens have been arrested and charged in connection to the shocking caught-on-camera "jugging" of a Houston woman left paralyzed from the violent robbery of cash she had withdrawn from the bank.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white and black sweatshirt with an Air Jordan "jumpman" logo, dark shorts, and sneakers grab Truong, who had recently withdrawn an estimated $4,300 in cash from a Bank of America for a planned trip to see family in Vietnam.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.
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Harrell allegedly exited the vehicle driven by Woods and assaulted the victim. The 17-year-old first tried to take the woman’s wallet and flee but, upon learning he didn’t have the money Truong withdrew from the bank, came back. Harrell then allegedly picked the woman up and slammed her down into the concrete, causing severe injuries, Houston police detective Tyrus Fontenot said. Surveillance video helped detectives determine the license plate for the vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the crime.
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.
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 finally discharged from the hospital Friday as what is expected to be a years-long recovery process continues.
