A Black teen was recently charged with two felonies following a fight last summer with several white teenagers, and now, his family is raising money for legal expenses and challenging the narrative painting the boy as the aggressor.
Christopher Nienhuis, 18, was initially arrested in July 2025 after police say he stabbed another teen in Midlothian, Texas. At the time, authorities charged him with one count of aggravated assault causing bodily injury.
His arrest followed a fight in a parking lot near a public park that was captured on cellphone video. According to WFAA, police say a 17-year-old boy identified as Dylan Almanza was stabbed twice during the altercation and suffered serious injuries.
The video footage captured by onlookers shows Nienhuis arguing with a group of teenagers. It’s unclear how the conflict between the teens started.
Witnesses say Nienhuis slapped Almanza’s girlfriend, which is what set off Almanza and his friends and triggered a physical altercation. Police say Nienhuis pulled a knife in the fight and stabbed Almanza.
For months, the teen’s family has disputed the charges and fought to clear their son’s name.
On a GiveSendGo page raising money for Christopher’s legal expenses, they say that the teen was “the victim of a brutal attack by a mob of white aggressors,” and that he protected himself in “a desperate act of self-defense.”
The fundraising page also states that the family faced death threats, intimidation, and harassment shortly after Christopher was arrested. The 18-year-old was also expelled from school.
“This is not an isolated event. My family has a long history of mistreatment, discrimination, and harassment from the Midlothian Police Department, the Midlothian Independent School District, and now the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department,” the page states. “It’s hard not to see this as a vendetta—whether rooted in race, power, or personal bias. Either way, my family is being victimized by the very institutions sworn to protect us.”
According to Ellis County Sheriff’s Office records, Nienhuis was recently charged again on Jan. 23, this time with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.
It’s unclear what prompted the new charges.
He’s currently being held at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center.
