ST. LOUIS COUNTY — The man accused of beating a 15-year-old McDonald’s employee said Thursday he was defending his sister from an attack by the fast food employee.
The lawyer for Johnny Ricks, 25, argued in court that a one-minute viral video of the brawl did not tell the full story of what happened this month outside the north St. Louis County fast food restaurant.
“He doesn’t even know who this victim is,†his lawyer Dereck Cortez said. “The video is a small snippet that doesn’t paint the whole picture at all. This was his sister. His sister was being beaten up, and he intervened.â€
Cortez asked the judge to reduce his $150,000 cash-only bond to $5,000, but the judge denied the request.
Ricks was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree property damage after an April 7 brawl outside the McDonald’s at 6863 Parker Road. About 12 people are caught up in the fighting in the viral video, and a man can be seen dragging 15-year-old Aryiah Lynch by her long braids, stomping her head on the concrete and punching her when she gets up.
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About a dozen of Ricks’ family members, including his mother and sister, waited outside the courtroom on Thursday in support of Ricks, who was wearing a tan jail jumpsuit and had both hands and feet shackled as he was led into court.
Aryiah’s family also attended the hearing, and her mother told the court that the attack changed her daughter’s life forever. The girl suffered a nose fracture, frontal lobe damage, a concussion and a broken nose, according to a GoFundMe organized by her family. She won’t leave the house, her mother said, she is afraid of men and is being bullied online.
The mother, whose name was not revealed in court, asked the judge to “never let him out†of jail.
Ricks’ lawyer told Judge Krista Peyton that Ricks has a strong support system to help him if he is released from jail. He noted the lifelong St. Louisan works in home health care, is going to the Midwest Institute to become an orthodontist and volunteers as a dance instructor for young girls.
But Ricks’ lengthy criminal history is enough for him to remain in jail, argued prosecutor Te’Arie Williams.
Williams said the 25-year-old has been charged at least six times with various assaults since 2018 and is now on probation. He was also charged with stabbing his roommate, but the case was dismissed at the request of the victim.
The prosecutor said she was not aware of a fight between Aryiah and another girl before the assault. Williams played the one-minute video of the beating for the judge on Thursday.
“This is a case where Mr. Ricks is seen dragging a 15-year-old girl by her hair and stomping on her face,†she said. “There is a clear history that the defendant has some issues and is a clear danger to the community.â€
had raised almost $40,000 as of Thursday afternoon. She had surgery on April 17, and her mother said in court Thursday she still had another surgery to come.
“She’s all taped up and coughing up blood,†she said. “When my baby’s nose is bleeding, it comes out of her mouth.â€
Her family declined to comment outside the courtroom on Thursday.
The brawl was just the latest viral video showing St. Louis-area teens being injured or killed in fights.
A March 8 attack of 16-year-old Kaylee Gain showed another girl beating Kaylee’s skull into concrete on a residential street near Hazelwood East High School.
Authorities charged 15-year-old Maurnice DeClue as a minor, but her family released her name. She has a hearing May 10 to determine if she will be charged as an adult.
Four days later, another fight broke out near Rose Mary Johnson Jennings Junior High School. A 47-second video showed more than 20 people yelling in the middle of Hord Avenue, just around the corner from the junior high school.
Justin Brooks, 14, was stabbed during that fight. He died at a hospital.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with his murder. His name has not been released because he is charged as a minor.
