A man allegedly attacked and injured a teenage McDonald’s employee in a heated encounter outside the restaurant in Missouri earlier this month.
Video shared by KMOV shows the man dragging the 15-year-old staffer, Aryiah Lynch, by her braids through the parking lot in suburban St. Louis before stomping her head into the ground. He also struck her multiple times in the face.
The incident occurred on April 8 at one of the fast food chain locations in Florissant. The suspect, 25-year-old Johnny Ricks, entered the restaurant and, after getting upset, allegedly tossed a tray at the electronic menu, the Riverfront Times reported.
Because of this, the employees escorted him outside, where he appeared more combative and attacked Lynch. Police alleged that he “stomped on her head twice,” per the outlet. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a group of people fighting.
Lynch was transported to a local hospital. She suffered from a skull fracture, frontal lobe damage, lacerations, and a concussion, among other injuries, her family wrote in a GoFundMe created to help pay her medical expenses. It has raised more than $26,000. Last week, the teen underwent surgery, which was a “success,” and is now reportedly out of the hospital.
“Getting stomped out by a grown man?” Lynch told KMOV. “I wasn’t prepared for what was gonna happen.”
According to the report, Lynch said the encounter initially started at the drive-thru when adult customers were “being obnoxious.” Hence, the employees insisted they order their food in the restaurant. Once they got inside, chaos ensued, and some even spit on some of the employees.
“They came into the McDonald’s and began to spit on my daughter and the young man at the cash register,” the fundraiser said. “The adults also began to destroy McDonald’s property by throwing things and damaging the self serve screens.”
Ricks was charged with felony assault and property damage, the Times reported. The police are speaking to witnesses to identify the other suspects involved. The franchise owner said that the team is working with the police on their ongoing investigation.
“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,” Jimmy Williams told KMOV.
