CLAYTON — A teenage McDonald’s employee who was pulled by her braids and stomped on her head last year outside the fast food restaurant in north St. Louis County lied about her injuries, attorneys said on Thursday.
The man charged in the case, 26-year-old Johnny Ricks, took a plea deal with prosecutors Thursday afternoon.
Prosecutors reduced Ricks’ assault charge after getting 15-year-old Aryiah Lynch’s medical records. The teen and her family raised almost that said she suffered a fractured skull and broken eye socket, among other injuries, during the fight on April 7, 2024.
“All of that was false,†said Rick’s defense attorney, Alex Klimenko. “The only thing that the evidence really showed was a minor injury to her nose.â€
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A family photo of 15-year-old Aryiah Lynch after a man dragged her by her long braids, stomped her head on the concrete and punched her. Aryiah was working at a north St. Louis County McDonald's when the attack happened.
A spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office said on Thursday that Lynch suffered a broken nose.
The fight outside McDonald’s, at 6863 Parker Road, attracted significant public interest after a one-minute video of the fight went viral.
It shows about 12 people caught up in the fighting. A man, later identified by authorities as Ricks, is seen dragging Aryiah by her long braids, stomping her head on the concrete and punching her when she gets up.
“The video that circulated through the media didn’t show the entire story,†Klimenko said Thursday. “It was only a selective clip that was used to mislead the public, as well as the state. The state overcharged everything based on the lies of the family and the manipulation of the media.â€
Outside the courtroom, his family reiterated what was said in a bond hearing last year: Ricks intervened in the fight because his younger sister was being assaulted.
Lynch’s family attended that hearing and her mother asked the judge to never let him out jail. The teen and her family did not attend Thursday’s plea hearing or submit a victim impact statement.
The prosecutor’s office said Thursday that Lynch’s medical records were the impetus for the reduction in charge from first-degree assault to third-degree assault, where the burden of proof is physical injury rather than serious physical injury.
“Of course, securing a guilty plea with the amended charge also holds the defendant accountable without the stress of trial for the victim,†St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said in a statement.
Ricks was originally charged with with second-degree assault and second-degree property damage. A few weeks after that, they upgraded his assault charge to first-degree, which carried a minimum of 10 years in prison.
On Thursday afternoon, with several family members in attendance, Ricks pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and second-degree property damage.
He was sentenced to a total of three years.
Klimenko said Missouri law requires he only has to serve 33% of that sentence, which Ricks has done while in pre-trial custody.
“We are expecting him to be out within the next few months,†Klimenko said.
Ricks has been in jail on a $150,000 cash-only bond since his arrest.
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