A Missouri teen was viciously assaulted at a St. Louis-area McDonald’s earlier this month by a man with a lengthy criminal record, according to news reports.
The 15-year-old girl suffered a fractured skull, brain damage, and other injuries after she was punched, dragged by her hair and stomped on.
The reportedly unprovoked April 7 attack was caught on video and posted on social media by the mother of Aryiah Lynch.
A roughly one-minute clip shows a large fight in a McDonald’s parking lot in unincorporated north St. Louis County and a man police attacking the girl. He was identified as 25-year-old Johnny Ricks, according to KMOV-TV in St. Louis.
The girl was dragged across the concrete by her hair and then had her head stomped on. After she managed to get away, her attacker punched her in the head, the video shows.
Lynch’s mother, Shawnunique Phillips, posted the disturbing video on her Facebook page. She has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to assist in her daughter's recovery.
The initial KMOV report is below.
WARNING: The following video contains images some viewers might find disturbing.
https://youtu.be/KeIXWpil0yQ?si=HvGKpq8rimcOi1oP
KMOV-TV reported the melee that led to Lynch’s attack began in restaurant's drive-thru area.
Police and the victim told the outlet Ricks and a number of other people had been in drive-thru but were behaving inappropriately.
The suspect and those with him were told if they wished to place an order they would have to do so at the counter.
Ricks entered the McDonald’s and spit on four employees – including Lynch, KMOV reported.
A large brawl then broke out and made its way outside, which is where Lynch was assaulted.
“She was admitted to one of the local hospitals in Saint Louis with a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage,” the teen’s mother wrote in her GoFundMe campaign.
“Aryiah has also sustained a broken nose, a concussion, and many lacerations in her head. Aryiah had to have surgery April 17, which was a success.”
The GoFundMe post said Aryiah was released from the hospital after the surgery and has a short-term goal of returning to work.
Lynch spoke to KMOV about the attack and explained she was caught off guard by being violently targeted by an adult.
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“Getting stomped out by a grown man? I wasn’t prepared for what was gonna happen,” Lynch said.
“I was just trying to protect myself in the moment,” she added. “I just want him in jail and charges to be pressed.”
St. Louis County has been making national headlines for crime problems recently. In March, a Venezuelan woman who'd entered the country illegally was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 12-year-old boy following a December traffic collision.
The county is also home to Hazelwood High School, where a vicious caught-on-video beating on March 8 left a 15-year-old girl comatose with brain injuries.
Her alleged assailant has been charged with felony assault.
The victim has since woken from the coma and is recovering, according to a GoFundMe update posted by her father on April 16.
According to KMOV, Ricks was arrested on April 9 and charged with assault and property damage.
According to The New York Post, Ricks has a lengthy criminal record which includes recent arrests for alleged crimes of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, theft, fraud and excessive speeding.
He was arrested for alleged assault in April 2023, the Post reported.
Ricks was ordered held on a $150,000 cash-only bond, according to the Post.
Police told KMOV they were still investigating the incident to identify more victims and attackers.
The owner of the McDonald's location issued a statement pledging cooperation with the investigation, according to KMOV.
