HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A man is on life support, and his family is demanding answers about why his alleged attacker was free after a prior violent charge was dismissed and he was referred to mental health treatment.
34-year-old, Nhan Le, has been hospitalized for a week following a brutal attack that was captured on surveillance video. Joshua McDaniel is in jail on multiple charges connected to four separate violent attacks along Highway 249 in northwest Harris County. Records show, all of those alleged attacks occurred within a 24-hour period.
Surveillance footage shows McDaniel approaching Le on a bicycle before striking him with a crowbar, then stomping, kicking and repeatedly hitting him as he lay helpless on the ground.
Le’s family, described the pain of watching his sibling fight for his life.
“My brother, he is a good kid, gentle. He’s always on his heart, doing stuff. His friends love him, family love him,” Hieu Huynh said.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, McDaniel is accused of attacking four people within 24 hours along Highway 249. In one case, he is accused of attacking a man with a machete.
Court records show McDaniel has a violent criminal history. In November, he was arrested on a charge of injury to an elderly person. That case was later dismissed, and McDaniel was referred to mental health treatment. It is unclear how long he remained in that program, but five months later, he was back in jail, now charged in four separate violent attacks.
April Aguirre of Crime Victims United is pushing for answers alongside Le’s family.
“What happened? What treatment did he get? Obviously, it did not work,” Aguirre said.
In response to questions about the dismissed charge and the mental health diversion program, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement saying:
“Prosecuting a case without material witnesses can be exceptionally challenging. Rather than dismissing criminal charges and releasing a defendant with no structured support or judicial intervention, prosecutors sometimes seek to provide other limited resources.”
Huynh says he is speaking up not just for Le, but for all of McDaniel’s alleged victims who cannot speak for themselves.
He added a direct message about accountability.
“Everybody has a life. Everyone is important. And what I want to say is, if they committed a crime, they have to pay,” Huynh said.
McDaniel remains in the Harris County Jail.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office believes there may be more victims. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the sheriff’s office or Crime Stoppers.