Arlington police are still looking for the suspect in a restaurateur’s murder that has left the community stunned.
Tho Tieu, known to the community as Mrs. Kim, was robbed and killed in the parking lot of her Pho San Nam Vietnamese Restaurant off of New York Ave in Arlington on the morning of December 29. The 56-year-old is survived by four children and three grandchildren.
Although no details on the suspect have been released, Tieu’s daughter, Jennifer Tieu, told CBS Texas that she believes her mother was followed by her alleged attacker after shopping at Cho Saigon New Market because the groceries were still in her car. The suspect then allegedly confronted her in the restaurant parking lot, robbed her, and then ran her over with their car as they fled the scene.
“She’s the most caring, nurturing, selfless person,” Jennifer told Fox 4 KDFW in another interview. “So it just didn’t make sense that that would happen or anything along those lines would happen to her.”
The family and the community have been left reeling by the loss, with a memorial to Tieu popping up shortly after the news of her murder spread. Flowers, candles, and mementos surround her photo, while many have already contributed to the family’s GoFundMe set up to cover funeral expenses. It had already surpassed $15,000 as of January 3.
“I mean, everybody knew her. Everybody just loved her to death. I mean, I just could not believe it. I can’t tell you enough how sad,” said Herald Harrington, a regular fixture at Pho San Nam, according to CBS.
“Every time I went to her restaurant, she always made sure I was okay. She would even cut my meat to where I could swallow it because I had throat cancer at the time,” he added.
While the investigation of Tieu’s murder is still ongoing, the M.O. resembles a jugging, which is a prevalent criminal trend across North Texas lately. Thieves wait outside banks and either confront individuals in the parking lot or follow them to a new location to rob them, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
In Dallas, there were 2,317 robberies clocked in 2023, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Significant year-over-year spikes in robbery offenses were seen in council districts 5, 7, 12, and 14, as covered in The Dallas Express. Four robberies had already been reported in 2024 as of January 2.
Due in large part to a longstanding officer shortage, the Dallas Police Department has been struggling to get crime under control. This is especially true of the murder rate, which was 15% higher in 2023 than the year prior.
DPD currently has only around 3,000 officers on staff despite a City report recommending around 4,000. The impact of the shortage is most clearly seen in Downtown Dallas, which regularly logs far more crime than Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is patrolled by a specialized police unit and private security guards.
