McDonald’s worker, 15, left with fractured skull after man stomps head

US News

By Chris Nesi

Warning: disturbing content — A goon with a long criminal history violently assaulted a 15-year-old McDonald’s employee – dragging her by the hair and stomping on her head repeatedly in the parking lot after a group of rowdy customers provoked a fight with employees inside the restaurant earlier. this month, according to cops.

Johnny Ricks, 25, was arrested for assault after allegedly grabbing the teen by the hair and dragging her across the restaurant parking lot just outside St. Louis before slamming her head into the concrete and punch her in the face, St. Louis. » said county police.

The girl, identified as Aryiah Lynch on a GoFundMe set up by her family, suffered a fractured skull, broken nose and damage to her frontal lobe.

“This attack changed her life,” the teen’s mother, Shawnunique Phillips, wrote on the page created to help cover her medical expenses, which has already raised $13,000 of its $15,000 goal. $.

“She is fighting hard to stay optimistic and heal, but this is just the beginning of a very difficult battle,” her mother wrote, saying the incident “shattered” the family’s life.

The cowardly April 7 attack was captured in a disturbing video posted to Facebook by Phillips, who wrote that Ricks should be charged with child endangerment or attempted murder.

The fight allegedly began when Ricks, along with a group of unidentified adults, pulled up to the restaurant’s drive-thru window and began behaving obnoxiously, according to Lynch’s family.

“It was getting loud…and it was obnoxious in the drive-thru, so we said, ‘if you want your order taken, come in,'” the teen told First Alert 4.

The group then burst inside the McDonald’s and began threatening workers, throwing objects around the restaurant and spitting on “at least four” employees, she said.

St. Louis County police said that at one point, Ricks became enraged and threw a tray of food at an electronic menu screen, destroying it.

The fight then spread to the parking lot, with video showing at least a dozen people, both men and women, struggling and throwing fists at each other.

In the video, a man identified by police as Ricks can be seen towering over the teen, dragging her around the parking lot like a rag doll before raising his foot almost to waist height and lowering her onto the skull of the helpless girl.

“Being trampled by a grown man? » the injured teenager later told local media. “I wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen.”

She was treated and released from the hospital after undergoing surgery. Her GoFundMe page says she hopes to return to work soon.

Ricks’ criminal record reads like a criminal bingo card, with public records showing charges dating back to 2016 ranging from theft and fraud to speeding, disorderly conduct and even littering. In April 2023, he was arrested for aggravated assault.

Ricks is currently in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center on charges of second-degree criminal assault and criminal damage to property. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 25, but it is unclear whether he has retained an attorney.

“Ensuring the safety of our employees and customers is paramount to me as a local business owner, and we have a strict workplace violence policy in my restaurants,” said Jimmy Williams, McDonald’s restaurant owner where the fight broke out. 4 in a statement.

“My team is cooperating fully with the St. Louis County Police in their investigation.”

St. Louis County police told the outlet they are working with North County to investigate the incident and are actively working to identify more victims, witnesses and suspects.

Ricks is being held on $150,000 cash bail only, with no 10% surety.