Joseph Harrell and Nika Woods: Houston teenagers arrested for 'jugging' robbery that left Nhung Truong paralyzed
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Two Houston teenagers, Joseph Harrell and Nika Ayesha Woods, have been arrested for the 'jugging' robbery of a Houston woman, Nhung Truong, that left her paralyzed .The arrests of the two suspects were announced at a press conference on Friday, March 17.
On February 13, single mother-of-three Truong was violently attacked in a robbery in front of a shopping center in Bellaire. For the unversed, 'jugging' happens when culprits follow a customer exiting a shop, often high-end', to rob them of their valuables. Surveillance footage showed Truong walking in front of the shopping center before a black male in his 20s who was wearing a red, white, and black sweatshirt paired with dark shorts, and sneakers grabbed Truong who had recently withdrawn an estimated $4,300 in cash from a Bank of America ATM for a planned trip to see her family in Vietnam.
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Suspect violently slammed Truong to the ground
The attack caused Truong to drop her belongings. After that, the man grabbed what he thout was an envelope of money before escaping from the spot. Seconds later, after realizing that he had picked up the wrong item, the suspect returned, picked Truong up and violently slammed her to the ground. He then grabbed the actual envelope of cash before fleeing the scene again.
Truong has only 50% chance of full recovery
The incident damaged Truong's spinal cord, leaving the 44-year-old paralyzed. Doctors have told her family that there is only a 50% chance that Truong will fully recover. The suspects, Harrell and Woods, followed Truong from the bank to a nearby business by car. Harrell allegedly exited the vehicle driven by Woods and assaulted the victim. He allegedly picked up Truong and slammed her down into the concrete, causing severe injuries, according to a report by Fox News. 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 role in the robbery involving 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.
'I want the city of Houston to stand behind us'
"This type of violence will not be tolerated in our city. It is just senseless," Houston police chief Troy Finner said. "I just spoke to 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 of our great citizens in this city."
