McDonald’s Worker, 15, Recovering from Fractured Skull After Allegedly Being Beaten by Male Customer
Teenage employee Aryiah Lynch was working at a St. Louis County McDonald's when a fight broke out in the restaurant
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McDonald’s Worker, 15, Recovering from Fractured Skull After Allegedly Being Beaten by Male Customer During BrawlA 15-year-old Missouri McDonald's employee is recovering from surgery after an adult male attacked her while she was working.
Aryiah Lynch told local station First Alert 4 that she was working at a St. Louis County McDonald's on April 8 along with another teenage cashier when a group of adults — including 25-year-old Johnny Ricks – came into the restaurant and began allegedly destroying property, spitting on the employees and instigating a brawl.
According to police reports obtained by NBC affiliate KSDK, Ricks was attempting to order at the counter when he got upset and allegedly threw a plastic tray at an electronic menu board, destroying it. Employees then asked him to leave and attempted to escort Ricks outside when the fight broke out.
A video of the incident that circulated on social media and was obtained by local station KMOV shows Ricks allegedly pulling Lynch by her hair outside the restaurant and stomping on her head. Ricks allegedly struck Lynch again in the head as she tried to stand up.
St. Louis County Justice Center
McDonald’s Worker, 15, Recovering from Fractured Skull After Allegedly Being Beaten by Male Customer During Brawl“Getting stomped out by a grown man?” Lynch told First Alert. “I wasn’t prepared for what was gonna happen.”
“I was just trying to protect myself in the moment. I just want him in jail and charges to be pressed,” the teenager added.
Lynch's mother Shawnunique Phillips wrote in a GoFundMe for the teen's medical funds that she was "admitted to one of the local hospitals in Saint Louis with a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage," and had sustained a broken nose, a concussion, and many lacerations in her head. She later had a successful surgery on April 17.
Ricks was also arrested on April 17 and has since been charged with second-degree assault and second-degree property damage, according to information from the St. Louis County Justice Center. He remains in jail and is next set to appear in court on Thursday, April 25. Per KSDK, he is being held on a $150,000 cash bond, is required to stay 500 feet away from any McDonalds and will not be allowed to have any contact with the victim.
Jimmy Williams, the owner of the McDonald’s location told First Alert in a statement that his team "is fully cooperating with the St. Louis County police in their investigation."
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“Ensuring the safety of both our employees and customers is paramount to me as a local business owner, and we have a strict workplace violence policy at my restaurants," Williams told the outlet.
In the GoFundMe — which has so far raised over half of its $50,000 goal — Phillips wrote that the 15-year-old is an "ambitious young lady, who enjoys spending time with her siblings and working at McDonald's" and was working at the restaurant to save up money for her birthday.
"Aryiah is very independent, she is a loving and sweet girl who would give a person the shirt off of her back," Phillips added. "... This assault has been a life changing experience for her. Please keep Aryiah in your prayers and lets help to uplift her in the most positive way to help her remain in good spirits."
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