Famed Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee has people riled up after he posted a video detailing a very dangerous trip through the Heights that apparently featured carjacking and a Molotov cocktail.
Buzbee posted a clip from his podcast, Swimming With The Sharks, in which he detailed a trip through what he called the most dangerous part of Houston: the Heights. Buzbee describes his trip to a deposition in the area, revealing that he saw a carjacking, a mugging, people in various forms of undress, burned-out cars, a live robbery, and a guy driving by that the lawyer said he believed was holding a Molotov cocktail out of the window of a vehicle.
Buzbee then said that once the deposition was canceled, he told his driver to “get in our Rolls-Royce and get out of the Heights as fast as possible.”
“Tony Buzbee confirmed not a Heights guy,” co-host and lawyer at Buzbee’s Houston firm, Colby Holler, says towards the end of the video.
“No, it is dangerous over there,” Buzbee replied.
Seeing a carjacking is rare but believable. Seeing a mugging on the same trip, what are the chances, really, but OK, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But also seeing scantily clad people, burned-out vehicles, and a Molotov cocktail? Pretty unbelievable. Did the Heights just decide to turn into a Grand Theft Auto 5 server for an afternoon? It clearly has to be a joke, right?
The Heights by all accounts, is an historic neighborhood and also one of the nicest parts of Houston. It’s a very desirable place to live with its walkability, beautiful homes and tree-lined streets, great restaurants and bars. It’s never really had the reputation of being dangerous.
The video caused many Houstonians to chime in, with many claiming the story is completely made up or that Buzbee had the Heights neighborhood mixed up with another part of Houston.
“Is this satire? Click bait? Or this guys the ultimate alpha male scared to drive down the street,” one commenter said.
“Most dangerous part? LOL That tells me you live in a privileged little bubble and know nothing about this city,” another upset Houstonian said.
“I drive around the Heights all the time. Not sure to what area Mr. Buzbee was referring, but I don’t see what he says he saw—maybe closer to 45 N and Cross Timbers area?” one commenter highlighted.
Buzbee himself replied to seemingly every comment, calling folks out for their extreme reactions to his wild story.
So did Tony Buzbee really go on a post-apocalyptic-like ride through one of Houston’s safest neighborhoods? Did he have to avoid burning cars and dodge Molotov cocktails while witnessing debauchery around every corner? No, he didn’t; he was apparently just having some fun with an inside joke between himself and some lawyers at his firm.
“Several of our young lawyers in the office live in the Heights. And there are some great restaurants there. But we have a running joke in the office that I won’t go there due to security concerns,” Buzbee told Chron. “It’s all in fun. It’s amusing to me how triggered people can become for the most frivolous of things.”
So no, Buzbee did not survive a Mad Max: Fury Road-like journey to a deposition in the Heights. It was all just a tongue-in-cheek story, with a big helping of trolling to get people riled up.