Two teenagers have been detained and prosecuted after being seen on surveillance camera “jugging” (body-slamming) a Houston woman, Nhung Truong. The attack resulted in her being paralyzed after the teens robbed her cash that she had withdrawn from a bank on Bellaire Boulevard just inside Beltway 8. 

At a press conference on March 17, more than a month after Nhung Truong was attacked the day before Valentine’s Day, it was revealed that Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy’Nika Ayesha Woods, 19, had been taken into custody and charged with the crime.

Harrell was seen on surveillance footage grabbing Truong, who had withdrawn an estimated $4,300 in cash from Bank of America in preparation for an upcoming trip to visit family in Vietnam. Harrell reportedly attacked the victim after he exited the car that Woods was driving. 

The footage demonstrates how the 17-year-old first stole Truong’s wallet and proceeded to leave, but as soon as he realized he was missing the money she had taken out of the bank, he circled and attempted to grab the money from her. According to Houston Police Detective Tyrus Fontenot, Harrell lifted her and threw her to the ground, leaving her with severe wounds. Detectives were able to identify the attackers’ license plate from surveillance footage that showed it leaving the crime scene.

According to Detective Fontenot, one of the teens admitted to her role in the robbery on February 13 during her interrogation and named Harrell as a co-conspirator. According to KTRK news, Harrell was out on bail at the time of the assault on Truong for two counts, and he is also charged with the aggravated assault of another woman 12 days later. 

The victim is a single mother of three children aged 13, 15, and 20. Truong is now confined to a wheelchair. Her daughter said that her mother, who has suffered spinal cord damage, was released from the hospital on Friday. Truong’s recuperation is anticipated to take years.