Man followed, robbed, ran over Arlington restaurateur, killing her in lot, police allege
Eight days after he was released in December from a stretch in federal custody on a robbery conviction, a man drove from Houston to Arlington, robbed a stranger and ran her over with a rental sport utility vehicle, killing her in a parking lot, police allege.
Fernando Taylor, 35, followed Tho Tieu for at least an hour as she drove to grocery stores and ultimately her restaurant, Pho Son Nam, in the 6500 block New York Avenue, Arlington police said.
Once Tieu, who was 56, arrived at the restaurant, Taylor pulled next to her and grabbed her purse, police said.
During the struggle for the bag, Tieu fell to the ground. She was run over by the SUV that Taylor drove from the scene.
The bag contained her wallet and two cellphones. A large sum of cash was left in Tieu’s jacket pocket.
Taylor was on Jan. 26 arrested in Houston on suspicion of capital murder.
The killing, on Dec. 29, was a crime of opportunity, Arlington Police Department Chief Al Jones said on Thursday at a press conference at which he announced the arrest.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 1:17 PM.
