Robbery victim new to Houston says he's moving after neck slashed with box cutter outside Academy

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police are searching for a robbery suspect who sliced a man's throat in a parking lot outside of Academy Sports in west Houston on Sunday.

The man, who wanted to stay anonymous for his safety, told ABC13 he just moved to Houston with his family in June, and now they are considering leaving after he was nearly killed.

The victim went to the sporting goods store on 7600 Westheimer Road to get his son swimming floaties. He said he noticed a car parked close to him, with a woman in the driver's seat staring at him.

"(My husband) put the windows down because we aren't used to Texas heat," the victim's wife said. "We are new to town, and he's not from here. As he was letting out the heat, that's when the guy ran up to the car trying to pull him out."

The victim's wife said the robber took her husband's wallet, and her husband pushed the suspect out of the way with the car door. She said that's when the suspect slashed her husband's throat with a box cutter.

"He tried to get back in his vehicle, and he sliced his throat with a box cutter," she said. "He jumped back, and that motion saved his life. The doctors said they were a centimeter away from a major artery that would have caused him to bleed out."

The suspect made his escape in the parked car next to him, with the woman in the driver's seat.

He was taken to the hospital, and his neck is now stitched up. While he's physically OK, he's still shaken up. Their kids are also anxious after seeing their dad like this.

"I am lining up a family trauma therapist for everyone because this is so bad, we probably will be moving out of Houston," the victim said. "I don't see us staying."

ABC13's Neighborhood Safety Tracker shows 148 robberies were reported in the last 12 months in the area, including Rosewood General Hospital, Woodlake, and Briarmeadow, home to an estimated 35,000 people.

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