Harrowing Video Shows Woman, 86, Put Into Chokehold During Burglary: Police

An 86-year-old woman in Texas was put into a chokehold during a burglary, harrowing footage shared by police has shown.

The woman was assaulted by a man in front of her home in Houston on Monday, June 26. A Ring.com video showed her standing outside her home as a Black man looked around before appearing to engage the woman in conversation. Following the brief conversation, the man approaches the woman, who appears to be pointing to something in the distance, and puts her into a chokehold.

The burglary happened at about 11:45 a.m. and the woman was taken to hospital for treatment, according to ABC13.

There were 90,878 aggravated assaults recorded in Texas in 2021, which represented a 3.2 percent increase from the 88,030 in 2020, according to state government statistics. This represented an aggravated assault risk of 307.8 out of every 100,000 people in Texas in 2021.

The suspect can then be seen entering the building, dragging the senior woman inside the home and closing the door behind them. After an undisclosed amount of time, the video shows the man leaving the property with a small light blue towel or blanket covering his head. He then continues to walk away through an open gate and down the street.

A Houston Police Department (HPD) spokesperson said in a June 26 tweet: "Wanted: Do you recognize this male suspect? He's accused of assaulting an 86-year-old female and burglarizing her home in the 4800 block of Robertson Street today (June 26)." Police did not share a description of the suspect in the Twitter post and no further information about the victim or her condition was posted.

However, a video seen by Newsweek showed the suspect had a shaved head or little hair and was wearing black shorts and a brown polo shirt with white and blue stripes.

HPD officers have urged anyone with information on the case to contact their robbery division at 713-308-0700 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

The same Texas government statistics also found that there were 95,800 burglaries recorded in the state in 2021. This represented an 11.3 percent decrease in 2020 where 108,015 burglaries were recorded across Texas in 2020. In 2021, the risk of being burgled was 324.4 per every 100,000 people, compared to 367.9 per every 100,000 people in 2020.

Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin account for 36 percent of the state's crime volume, according to the statistics. The state government added: "The metropolitan areas around those four cities report more than 60 percent of the crime volume in Texas."

Newsweek has contacted the Houston Police Department for comment via email.