BLACK ATTACKER: GoFundMe for Texas ASIAN woman paralyzed from on-camera robbery raises $80K in 3 days; no arrest made month later

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Senior Reporter


GoFundMe for Texas woman paralyzed from on-camera robbery raises $80K in 3 days; no arrest made month later​


Nhung Truong's alleged attacker remains at large more than a month later​


Danielle Wallace

By Danielle Wallace , Mitch Picasso | Fox News


Houston Woman Body-Slammed During Attack


A woman is left paralyzed after being body slammed by her BLACK attacker in Houston, Texas. Credit: Houston Police Dept./LOCAL NEWS X /TMX
A GoFundMe page for a Texas woman left paralyzed from a violent, caught-on-camera robbery at an ATM has raised more than $80,000 in three days, as no arrest has been made in the case.
Nhung Truong, a 44-year-old mother of three, was brutally robbed of an estimated $4,300 in cash she had just withdrawn from a Bank of America in Houston on Feb. 13 for a planned trip to visit family in Vietnam. Surveillance video shows the suspect, a Black male with a "skinny build" wearing a red, white and black sweatshirt with an Air Jordan "jumpman" logo, dark shorts, and sneakers, grab hold of Truong, who dropped her possessions on the ground. The suspect grabs an item he thought was the envelope and began to run away.
Realizing he grabbed the wrong item, he returns and slams Truong's body to the ground before running off a second time with the cash.
A month and a day have passed since the assault, which left Truong paralyzed as a result of spinal damage, but Houston police tell Fox News Digital no arrest has been made as of Tuesday.
ROBBERY SUSPECT SLAMS TEXAS WOMAN, LEAVING HER PARALYZED: VIDEO
Nhung Truong paralyzed in a hospital bed with her mother and children surrounding her after being attacked by a robber in Houston, Texas.


Nhung Truong paralyzed in a hospital bed with her mother and children surrounding her after being attacked by a robber in Houston, Texas. (GoFundMe/Linh Thuy Duong)
A GoFundMe page, titled "Help My Mom Recover From Spinal Cord Injury," was set up three days ago and has already raised $77,680 by midday Tuesday.
"I reach out to every supporter today to provide an update on my mom's medical condition. As you may know, we have an initial goal of $50,000 to cover the costs of her treatment and recovery," the victim's daughter, Linh Thuy Duong, wrote on the page. "Unfortunately, we have received devastating news that her recovery time has been extended to over two years or even more, the doctor informed us that her time of recovering is unpredictable."

"This means that my mom is unable to work, our family must provide around-the-clock care for her. I am saddened to inform you that she was supposed to be discharged on March 9, 2023, but her condition has not improved enough to be discharged yet, and the discharge date has been extended to March 15, 2023, but it is unsure I was told by my mom's doctor," she said.

HOUSTON-AREA OFFICIALS BLAST JUDGES OVER DISMISSAL OF MANY CRIMINAL CASES, CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Nhung Truong receiving hospital care after being attacked by a robber in Houston.


Nhung Truong receiving hospital care after being attacked by a robber in Houston. (Fox 26)

"I want to formally let you know that I will be raising our fundraising goal, but I promise to ensure that we only raise the amount we need. We are doing everything we can to find ways to cover the costs, including applying for financial assistance and seeking support from our community," the daughter added. "This news has been incredibly difficult for us, and it feels like our world has been turned upside down once again. We love our mom more than anything, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that she receives the best possible care."
She said additional costs might include hiring home nursing, and if she cannot do physical therapy at home, funding for Truong to attend therapy at a rehabilitation center.
The Houston Police Department is still searching for a suspect who body-slammed a woman in Houston.


The Houston Police Department is still searching for a suspect who body-slammed a woman in Houston. (Houston Police Dept./LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
Houston police told Fox News Digital if an arrest is made, it will be up to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's office to bring charges, which could include aggravated robbery.
Her office did not immediately return a request for comment on Truong's case.

Ogg was blasted by the Houston Police Officer's Union in 2020 for reducing "herself to being a George Soros backed, weak on crime DA, who makes promises to get votes and jeopardizes the safety of Harris County." The union said in a statement that year, "Kim Ogg should stop lying to the public and take responsibility for allowing violent felons to continually victimize the citizens of Harris County. Harris County deserves better."



Houston-Woman-Body-Slammed-3.jpg
 
JUGGING CRIME

Joseph Harrell and Zy'Nika Ayesha Woods arrested for robbery

17-year-old boy and his alleged getaway driver charged in Texas body slam robbery that left woman paralyzed

Alberto Luperon Mar 20th, 2023, 2:45 pm

The figure at left body slammed and robbed Nhung Truong on Feb. 13, 2022, police said. Officers claim that's Joseph Harrell. Zy'Nika Ayesha Woods was in a nearby vehicle serving as the getaway driver, officers said. (Images: Houston Police Department)

The figure at left body slammed and robbed Nhung Truong on Feb. 13, 2022, police said. Officers claim that’s Joseph Harrell. Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods was in a nearby vehicle serving as the getaway driver, officers said. (Images: Houston Police Department)

Police have arrested two teens in a violent robbery attack that was caught on video and left a woman paralyzed with a severe spinal injury from the assault. Officers identified Joseph Harrell, 17, on surveillance footage body slamming victim Nhung Truong, 44, and stealing from her in a Feb. 13 incident in Houston, Texas. They also say that Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, was nearby in a car — assisting as the getaway driver.

“In fact, when I saw it [the video], just made me mad as hell,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a press conference on Friday announcing the arrests. “Slammed her down like she was a bag of potatoes.”

“This type of violence will not be tolerated in our city,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.

News Briefing – Arrests in Jugging Robbery at 9800 Bellaire Blvd. https://t.co/8iyIJZRQFC

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) March 17, 2023

Police previously said Truong went on Feb. 13 to the Bank of America at 9875 Blackhawk Boulevard and withdrew a large sum of money for an upcoming trip.

“The victim then drove 24 miles to the 9800 block of Bellaire [Boulevard],” they wrote. “It is probable that the suspect(s) were watching the bank and followed the victim to her next location.”

Cops now say that Harrell and Woods were following her in a car.

Truong walked in front of a shopping center carrying an envelope containing cash, officers said.

Cops now say that’s Harrell on video in a red hood with white sleeves and black shorts. He is allegedly the person who grabbed Truong and struggled with her. The figure in the red hood picked up something, briefly fled, but immediately returned when he realized he did not have the victim’s money, police said. Truong attempted to run away, but the figure grabbed her and appeared to body slam her in a briefly edited portion of the footage.

We need your help to identify the suspect wanted for a robbery by force (jugging) at a shopping center on 2/13 at 9800 Bellaire. @CrimeStopHOU pays up to $5k for info leading to the charging and/or arrest of any felony suspect.

Story->https://t.co/eJba6a65Qx @houstonpolice pic.twitter.com/LmUSrfFOdF

— Houston Police Robbery (@hpdrobbery) March 10, 2023

Police now say Harrell ran back to the waiting vehicle and Woods drove off. Truong was unconscious for a while, having sustained serious injuries, authorities said. She reportedly said she cannot feel her left leg or walk with it.

“They don’t know when my leg can walk again,” Truong, a mother of three from Vietnam, told KHOU through her daughter in a March 10 report.

Authorities said the victim sustained cracked ribs and a spinal injury, leaving her “paralyzed from waist down,” according to court documents regarding Woods’ bond.

A GoFundMe campaign to support Truong raised $266,593 of a $120,000 goal as of Monday. She was discharged from the hospital on Friday, her daughter Linh Thuy Duong wrote in an update.

Houston police Detective Tyrus Fontenot told reporters Friday that local surveillance footage was key to solving the crime because they got the license plate number of the getaway vehicle.

Footage showed that the suspect vehicle was a blue Chevy Cobalt, according to Woods’ bond documents.

Also, Woods matched the description of the driver on video, he said. She was detained under a traffic violation, Fontenot said. Woods allegedly not only confessed but implicated Harrell as well. As part of the confession, she said that she drove Harrell while they followed the victim from the Bank of America to the shopping center, documents said. She waited while Harrell robbed the woman, drove him away after the robbery, and she took her share of the money, she allegedly admitted.

Authorities charged both teens with aggravated robbery with serious bodily injury. Harrell also faces an unrelated count of aggravated assault. Police said that Woods has no criminal history, but that Harrell’s record is mostly in the juvenile system.

Harrell faced a total bond of $240,000, Harris County records show. Woods’ bond is set at $50,000.
 

Bond reduced in half for man accused of body slamming woman during robbery​


Nhung Truong suffered serious injuries and was unconscious for some time after the robbery, according to police.

HOUSTON — Bond was reduced for a man accused of body slamming a woman during a robbery and stealing cash she had just withdrawn from a bank.

Joseph Harrell, 17, is charged with aggravated robbery. His bond was cut in half from $200,000 to $100,000.

The victim suffered a back injury during the attack last month and hasn't been able to walk since.

Zy'Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, is also charged with aggravated robbery in the case. Woods faces another charge of aggravated assault on a separate case, Detective Tyrus Fontenot with the Houston Police Department said.

What happened​


The day before Valentine's Day Nhung Truong went to a Bank of America to get some cash for a trip she was planning on taking. After leaving the bank, she made her way to a shopping center on Bellaire Boulevard just inside Beltway 8 where she was allegedly followed by Harrell and Woods.

Fontenot said Truong was walking in front of the shopping center when Harrell got out of a car that Woods was driving and tussled with Troung for her purse.

After all of her belongings fell to the ground, Fontenot said Harrell picked up what he thought was the money and started running away, but when he realized he didn't have the money, he went back to Troung, picked her up and slammed her to the ground.

He then picked up the envelope with the money and ran back to the getaway car that Woods was driving, Fontenot said.

READ: Woman body slammed during robbery after withdrawing cash for trip, police say

The entire incident was caught on a surveillance camera.

"In fact when I saw it, it just made me mad as hell," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Troung suffered serious injuries from the body slam. Fontenot said she was even unconscious for a while before being taken to the hospital.

Fontenot said the minute the Houston Police Department was notified about what happened, detectives immediately started investigating. Detectives were able to find surveillance video, which Fontenot said was key to solving this crime.

What led to the arrests​


With the help of surveillance cameras, police were able to get the license plate of Harrell and Woods' vehicle and later learned Woods was the driver.



Fontenot said she matched the description of the woman seen in the surveillance videos.

She was eventually detained for a traffic violation and interviewed by investigators. Fontenot said she confessed to taking part in the robbery and confessed to Harrell being involved as well.

After confirming Harrell was the other person involved in the robbery, investigators said they later found him and arrested him for a warrant on a separate aggravated assault case. He was interviewed and also confessed to taking part in the robbery, Fontenot said.

Harrell and Woods were both arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with serious bodily injury.

Watch the latest update from HPD in the video below:
 

More jailhouse calls reveal 19-year-old accused of Chinatown robbery not understanding her charge​

Mycah Hatfield Image

ByMycah Hatfield
KTRK logo

Friday, March 24, 2023 5:27PM



Suspect complains about victim's donations: 'You done run up $230,000'


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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Within 24 hours of being arrested, the 17-year-old accused of paralyzing a single mother during a robbery started making damning calls from jail.

Joseph Harrell, 17, is charged with aggravated robbery after following Nhung Tuyet Truong for 23 miles from a bank to Chinatown. During the robbery, police say Harrell threw the victim to the ground, leaving her with severe injuries.

The robbery was caught on clear surveillance video.

All calls made by inmates in the Harris County Jail are recorded. ABC13 obtained copies of several of his jail calls and verified with the Houston Police Officer's Union that it is Harrell.

It is unclear who he is speaking with in each of the calls.

PREVIOUS STORY: Jailhouse calls reveal 17-year-old complains about paralyzed victim's GoFundMe page

On March 17, just after midnight, the teen explains to someone on the other end of the line what happened on Feb. 13.

"Basically, I went with these girls, bro, on some dumb (expletive) (expletive) and we was snatching purses," Harrell was heard saying. "I snatched a purse. Basically, when I snatched a purse, the lady ran with the money. I grabbed her and slammed her and she was paralyzed."

During one call, Harrell directed someone to search for the case online. The person on the other end came across the surveillance video.

Harrell directed multiple people to his Instagram account to delete information.

"JoJo is this you?" the person on the other end of the line said. "What the (expletive)?"

"Bro, chill," Harrell responded.

"Alright, look, you see that (expletive) I got on, right?" Harrell said minutes later in the same conversation.

"Yes," the other person responded.

"Go to my lives and look for that (expletive) and delete all of that (expletive)," the 17-year-old said. "Because the laws took my phone."

During another phone call, Harrell asked that Instagram messages between himself and Zy'Nika Woods, who's also charged in the case, also be deleted.

Four days ago, the teen asked someone to post his mugshot on his Instagram account with the caption, "I'm innocent and I'm going to come out on top."

Harrell can be heard saying that he will not accept a 20-year sentence for his case, which he said was the maximum sentence for the aggravated robbery charge. Texas law says the punishment range is from five to 99 years.

"I ain't tripping," Harrell said over the phone. "I am going to come out on top with probation."


The victim in the case has a GoFundMe account that has raised more than $300,000. Harrell took issue with that during a call last week.

"Like (expletive), you already done ran up $230,000," he said. "They say she ran up $230,000 and she will be back walking in a year."

Harrell's attorney, Catherine Verlander Evans, told ABC13 over the phone that it is "unethical" that the jail calls were released to the media. She said she was assigned the case on Wednesday morning and only has access to limited discovery at this point. She said she does not have the jail calls.

Verlander Evans went on to say that she finds it concerning that law enforcement is selectively releasing information to the media. She said the case is playing out in the media and it is very one-sided right now.

ORGINAL REPORT: Woman followed, robbed in Chinatown after making large cash withdrawal from miles away: HPD

Co-defendant Woods also admitted to the crime over recorded jail calls.

She was heard crying on a call to her mother, saying, "It's a lot, Mama. I did something bad. I had did something bad."

When asked what she did, she responded, "We hit on somebody, Mama. We hit on someone."

Woods went on to say that she drove the car and does not understand why she is charged with aggravated robbery. She said the bodyslam that paralyzed the victim was the "deadly weapon" in the case.

"Paralyzed don't have nothing to do with me," Woods said.

"Well, no, if you accessory, you with it too," the person on the other end of the line said. "If somebody go out here and rob a bank and I'm just in the car and I drive, I'm with it too. Because I didn't have to go with them. You get it now?"

"Yeah," Woods responded.

Both Harrell and Woods remain behind bars.

Harrell's bond was slashed by a judge in this case on Wednesday from $200,000 to $100,000.

Woods is set at $50,000.

For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 

He was out on bond a week ago for a robbery.​

Jailhouse calls reveal 17-year-old complains about paralyzed victim's GoFundMe page​

Brooke Taylor Image

ByBrooke Taylor
KTRK logo

Friday, March 24, 2023 2:04PM



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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As a judge's decision to lower a 17-year-old suspect's bond in a Chinatown robbery is attracting criticism, 13 Investigates has obtained jailhouse phone calls that a source close to the investigation confirms the suspect made.

Joseph Harrell was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated robbery after police said he was caught on camera physically assaulting Nhung Truong, who ended up being paralyzed from the attack.

In audio recordings that you'll hear only on ABC13, he's heard talking about maybe getting probation and laughing at the fact someone would think he could spend up to 20 years in prison for his robbery. He's heard making a shocking confession in part of the jail call.

"We were snatching purses," Harrell said. "I hopped out, snatched the purse, the lady ran with the money, I grabbed her, slammed her and she was paralyzed."

ABC13 visited the victim and her children over the weekend, who set up a GoFundMe to help pay medical expenses since she is paralyzed.

"The lady probably wants justice and some more (expletive)," Harrell said. "They'll try to max me out 20 years basically. That (expletive). I ain't going for it. The (expletive) already ran up $230,000 off GoFundMe. (Expletive) better run on with her life."

He continues, "Like, (expletive) you done run up $230,000. Look. They say she ran up $230,000 and she'll be back walking in no less than a year."

According to records, Harrell's bond was initially set at $200,000 but was lowered to $100,000 for the robbery charge.
He was charged in a separate robbery case just more than a week later. The bond for that case was also lowered from $40,000 to $30,000.

The case is in the 183rd District Criminal Court presided by Judge Kristin Guiney.

Douglas Griffith, President of Houston Police Officers Union, listened to the recordings and said if Harrell makes bond, he's a threat to the public.

"My concern is for the public," Griffith said. "If this kid gets out of jail, he is going to victimize more individuals. He does not care about anyone but himself, and for the judge to lower his bond baffles my mind. I can't wrap my head around it. This kid is a danger to others and the community and needs to be locked up."

Harrell is the only person that was caught on surveillance video, but he's not the only one facing charges in this case. Zy'Nika Woods, 19, is also charged with robbery, records show.

On Feb. 13, Truong went to a bank in the 9800 block of Blackhawk Boulevard at about 11:30 a.m. to withdraw a large sum of cash for an upcoming trip, police said.

ORGINAL REPORT: Woman followed, robbed in Chinatown after making large cash withdrawal from miles away: HPD

Truong reportedly traveled 24 miles to Chinatown and was followed by Harrell and Woods before being brutally robbed.


She suffered broken ribs, a fractured spine, and is paralyzed from the waist down.

A GoFundMe set up for Troung has raised more than $260,000.

Woods allegedly served as Harrell's getaway driver that followed Truong from a bank to the site of the beating and robbery.

Harrell was already out on bond for a weapons charge when the incident took place and is being charged with another robbery that took place less than two weeks later.

ABC13 spoke to Truong through her daughter last week. "I'm feeling really scared that they are coming after us because of what happened. I need everyone's help to get them the punishment they deserve," Truong said.

SEE RELATED: 'I'm really scared that they're coming after us': Woman paralyzed after mugging speaks to ABC13

Eyewitness News reached out on Thursday night to the Harris County District Attorney's Office about what was said in the recording and whether it agrees with the judge's decision to lower bond. We didn't hear back.

For updates on this story, follow Brooke Taylor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
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