HOUSTON – Houston police are searching for the suspect caught on video body-slamming a woman to the ground during a robbery attempt in southwest Houston.
On Monday, Feb. 13, officers responded to reports of a robbery at a shopping center located in the 9800 block of Bellaire around 11:30 a.m.
Investigators said a woman was walking in the shopping center when she was attacked by an unknown man who grabbed her and attempted to take an envelope containing cash that she was carrying in her hand.
The woman told officers that she dropped her possessions on the ground and the suspect grabbed what he thought was the envelope full of money and started to run away when he realized he grabbed the wrong envelope. Surveillance video from the scene then showed the suspect running back toward the woman, picking her up and then body-slamming her on the ground before grabbing the envelope with the cash and fleeing the scene.
Investigators said prior to the attack, the woman said she had made a stop at the Bank of America located at 875 Blackhawk and withdrew a large sum of money for an upcoming trip. The woman said she then drove 24 miles to Bellaire where she believes the suspect followed her and robbed her.
On Friday, KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner spoke to the victim’s children who said their mother is recovering at Memorial Hermann Hospital with injuries to her spine. They said the suspect got away with $4,200.
“It’s really tough. She’s the only one who can go to work in this house,” the daughter said. “She was getting money from the bank to buy flight tickets so we could go on a vacation.”
The victim’s children, who are 14 and 15 years old, did not want to be identified.
They said their mother has been hospitalized for almost a month after she was robbed in broad daylight.
“She still can’t move her leg or use the restroom on her own, so it’s kind of difficult,” the children said. “It affected the nerve in both of her legs. The right leg is fine, she can move it but not the left leg.”
The hospital sent a bed to the family’s home to help the mother when she’s discharged from the hospital on Sunday.
The children said they just want the suspect off the streets.
“Before you walk out, just stay in your car and keep the engine on. Look around for at least 30 seconds and then walk out,” the children said.
The children said their mother has a 50% chance of walking again. They also added that their grandmother traveled from Vietnam to help take care of them.
If you know who the suspect may be, you are asked to call the Houston Police Department.