HOUSTON – Hours after a woman who went viral on social media was supposed to turn herself in to Houston police on Thursday, the man she accused of hitting her with a brick is speaking exclusively to KPRC 2 in an exclusive interview.
Roda Osman, 33, has been charged with felony theft by deception. According to charging documents, Osman raised at least $40,000 through a fraudulent GoFundMe page she started in September that claimed she was the victim of a similar attack more than three years ago.
ORIGINAL STORY: Woman known as ‘Brick lady’ charged in Houston after being accused of making whole thing up, raising $42K on GoFundMe
KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry sat down with the alleged victim, Olan Douglas, who he said had no idea who Osman was. He added that since the ordeal, it’s been hard to stay quiet.
ONLY ON 2: The man accused of throwing a brick at a woman's head in a now-viral video is breaking his silence after Roda Osman, known virally as 'brick lady,' is accused of making it all up to profit from a GoFundMe. Hear his side of the story only on @KPRC2 at 10. pic.twitter.com/rP20yBZmgA
— Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) January 19, 2024
“It’s the hardest thing to do, is to not say anything when the whole world is saying something about you,” he said. “It caused people who I thought really knew me to kind of betray me.”
Douglas is a father, son, and small business owner, but in September of last year, allegations made by Osman nearly put it all at risk.
Douglas told Newberry he met Osman at a nightclub near the Galleria. She wore a mask that only revealed her eyes. She was then invited to an afterparty, but Douglas said she got aggressive and intoxicated.
“She physically didn’t start touching me until I asked her to leave. I said you got to get out,” Douglas said.
Houston police said surveillance video showed Osman slapping him in the face before he hit her back, with what appeared to be a plastic water bottle in hand.
“Should never hit a woman in general, but. I didn’t want to hit her. It was like she hit me and I just reacted,” he added.
Court documents revealed the surveillance footage did not match what Osman told police -- that a male Uber driver threw a brick at her and tried to kidnap her -- that “she did her own investigation and was told that Douglas was the one who assaulted her.”
Osman is now charged with theft, because prosecutors say she made it up and tried to profit from a GoFundMe that raised more than $40,000.
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“It’s been a divide between, you know, Black men, Black women. And it’s been....it’s evil what she did,” Douglas said. “If police didn’t have this surveillance video, this evidence, that basically clears you, what kind of situation do you think you would be in?”
Houston police said the Major Assaults Division investigated the alleged assault case, and the evidence led to the theft charge.
Douglas said he received death threats from complete strangers.
“I would be that guy that hit a girl with a brick,” he said. “I’m Black. I’m surprised I wasn’t arrested in 30 seconds from this going out.”
Osman remains on the run. In a comment on her Instagram page, she says she’s been harmed and abused, and that she looks forward to her day in court.