A shocking incident at a McDonald’s in St. Louis, Missouri, has left a teenage employee with severe injuries after a customer brutally attacked her. Aryiah Lynch, a 15-year-old worker at the fast-food chain, was viciously assaulted by 25-year-old Johnny Ricks, leading to a fractured skull and the need for surgical intervention.
Ricks was apprehended last Friday and is facing several charges in connection with the assault on April 8 in the McDonald’s parking lot. Social media has been ablaze with videos showing the harrowing moments where Ricks is seen dragging Aryiah by her hair before delivering a brutal stomp to her head, along with multiple punches to her face.
In the wake of this violent episode, Aryiah’s family has initiated a GoFundMe page, where they’ve been sharing updates on her medical condition. They disclosed that Aryiah suffered a broken nose, skull fractures, and damage to her frontal lobe.
The family recounted the origins of the conflict, noting that it began when Ricks and several adults arrived at the drive-thru, behaving disruptively. The situation escalated when the group entered the restaurant, started vandalizing property, spitting at staff members, and harassing them.
“In the video you can see the adult male grabbing and dragging Aryiah by her long braids, and stomping on her head. He then let her go, but returned to punch her numerous times in her face,” stated a family member on the GoFundMe page.
“Aryiah had to undergo surgery on April 17, which thankfully was a success. She’s fighting hard to stay positive and heal, but we’re just at the start of a long road to recovery. She’s currently resting at home, hoping to eventually return to work,” added the family member.
After her surgeries, Aryiah courageously shared her experience with local media, admitting that she was caught off guard by the severity of the assault.
“It was getting loud…and being obnoxious in the drive-thru, so we said, ‘if you want to get your order taken, step inside,” she explained. “Getting stomped out by a grown man? I wasn’t prepared for what was gonna happen.”
Ricks is now detained at the St. Louis County Justice Center, facing charges of felony assault and second-degree property damage.
The owner of the McDonald’s franchise, Jimmy Williams, has also spoken out, emphasizing the commitment to ensuring both employee and customer safety. “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 stated, confirming cooperation with the St. Louis County police in their ongoing investigation.
For further updates, both McDonald’s and the St. Louis Police Department have been approached for comments by the media.