A woman left paralyzed after a violent robbery in Houston's Dun Huang Plaza is taking legal action against the shopping center for what she claims was a lack of security during the February 2023 incident. Nhung Truong, a 44-year-old single mother of three, was the victim of a jugging robbery—a crime where thieves trail someone from a bank and rob them at their next stop. The attack was captured on surveillance video that showed Joseph Harrell, 18, body-slamming Truong to the ground, leaving her disabled from the waist down, according to Click2Houston.
Suing for what could set a precedent for increased security measures at Dun Huang Plaza, the crisis of Truong represents an outcry not solely for justice but for the prevention of such occurrences repeating themselves. "Just in the last three years from January 2021 to January 2024, the Houston Police Department alone has received 419 calls for service to the Dun Huang Plaza," attorney Nick Ware said, citing calls that span violent crimes, from robbery to sexual assault, Click2Houston reported.
Truong's harrowing ordeal and its aftermath have brought not just legal scrutiny to the plaza's security protocols but a spotlight on the broader sense of security felt by patrons. Truong, expressing her sheer desolation and the tragic upheaval of her life through a translator, conveyed to FOX 26 Houston, "I am truly in deep pain and completely exhausted on the brink of breaking down. If only I had been protected during the robbing, maybe I wouldn’t had ended up in harm, like I am today."
While Dun Huang Plaza has emphasized the quick response and help provided to law enforcement after the attack, their defense points to the challenges posed by targeted robberies that can transpire rapidly. "This is a targeted robbery case. The victim was followed by a robbery group from a bank 30 miles away to Dun Huang Plaza after she withdrew cash," Deqing Yang at Allwin Insurance Agency, told KPRC2’s Re’Chelle Turner. Regardless of the premises having onsite security patrols, Yang noted that such incidents can occur swiftly, sometimes before guards are able to intervene.
Attorney Nick Ware has indicated plans to file a negligence lawsuit against the plaza, implying that an increased security presence could deter such violent crimes. Ware suggests that the attacker may have been dissuaded had they seen multiple security officers on the premises. It's in the face of asserted gaps in the plaza's vigilance that Ms. Truong and her legal team push forward, seeking a resolve that might anchor a more fortified sense of security within the plaza's bounds, for the sake of all who venture through.
