The McDonald’s on Parker Road and its owner/operator Jimmy Williams is stepping up to support injured employee Aryiah Lynch, whose beating on April 7, 2024 by 25-year-old Johnny Ricks was captured on video.
The McDonalds location donated a portion of all sales from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday May 1, 2024 to Lynch and her family to help cover medical expenses.
“Ensuring the safety of both our employees and customers is paramount to me as a local business owner,” Williams said in a statement.
“My team and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to the St. Louis County Police Department for their exceptional work.”
According to police, Ricks was a customer who destroyed an electronic menu board by throwing a tray at it. Employees told him to leave and escorted him outside but violence ensued when a brawl broke out in the parking lot.
The video shows Ricks grabbing the employee, dragging her by her hair and then stomping on her head.
As she rose from the ground, police said Ricks hit her on the head again.
Lynch’s stepmom Shawnunique Phillips told KSDK “My 15-year-old daughter and her teenage co-workers were assaulted at their place of employment.”
“They came into the McDonald’s and began to spit on my daughter and the young man at the cash register. The incident started in the drive-thru and escalated inside.”
Phillips has created a GoFundMe account, which had raised over $33,000 of its $50,000 goal by noon Wednesday.
According to Phillips, Lynch suffered a skull fracture, frontal lobe damage, a broken nose, a concussion and lacerations to her head. She had surgery on April 17, which the family said was successful.
Phillips said on the GoFundMe page that Lynch “still can’t breathe through her nose.”
“Please keep Aryiah in your prayers and let’s help to uplift her in the most positive way to help her remain in good spirits,” Phillips wrote.
“She also loves school as is looking forward to walking the stage at graduation. The overwhelming response from friends, family and the community has already brought our family to tears.”
St. Louis County prosecutors have now charged Ricks with first-degree assault and second-degree property.
Phillips called her daughter an “ambitious, loving, sweet young lady who enjoys spending time with her siblings and working at McDonald’s.”
She said she was saving money for her upcoming birthday.
“This assault has been a life changing experience for her,” Phillips wrote.
Ricks was being held on a $150,000 cash only bail as of Monday and was scheduled for a bond hearing on Thursday April 25, 2024.
