In a disturbing incident that took place at a McDonald’s in St. Louis County, a 25-year-old man with a known criminal history was charged with second-degree assault following a brutal attack on a teenage employee. The attacker, identified as Johnny Ricks, is accused of starting a violent altercation that resulted in serious injuries to a 15-year-old worker named Aryiah Lynch.
The events leading up to the altercation began on April 7, when a disorderly group of customers, including Ricks, entered the restaurant. According reports, the group began causing disturbances that escalated quickly, attacking young staff with verbal and physical harassment. Social media footage captured Ricks dragging Lynch by her hair across the parking lot and assaulting her several times near the restaurant’s drive-thru.
Details provided by police reveal that Ricks became aggressive after entering the McDonald’s where Lynch was behind the counter. Enraged, he threw a tray at an electronic menu. When employees tried to intervene and escort him outside, Rick’s anger intensified.
He forcefully knocked Lynch to the ground and stomped on her head twice, an act of violence that left the young employee with a concussion, a fractured skull and damage to her frontal lobe. Following the incident, the community rallied in support of Lynch and his family. Shawnunique Phillips, Lynch’s mother, created a GoFundMe page to help with her daughter’s mounting medical bills.
In her plea for support, Phillips recounted the ordeal, describing how the attackers spit on her daughter and another young co-worker, escalating the attack from the drive-thru to the interior of the restaurant and even damaging property, including the drive-thru. screens.
Phillips expressed her daughter’s current struggle with recovery, emphasizing the psychological and physical toll the incident has taken on her and her family. She highlighted the uphill battle her daughter faces to overcome the trauma and injuries inflicted during the attack, which she described as having “destroyed” her life.
Following the assault, Ricks was arrested and is now being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center. He faces charges of felony assault and second-degree property damage, and is scheduled to appear in court on April 25. As Lynch recovers at home on bed rest in hopes of eventually returning to work, the local community and McDonald’s management have shown support for him.
McDonald’s operator Jimmy Williams stressed the importance of safety for both employees and customers and praised the quick response of the St. Louis County Police Department in handling the situation. This violent episode has highlighted ongoing concerns about the safety of workers in service industry roles, prompting calls for stronger measures to protect employees from such egregious acts of violence.
