Eight high school students have been charged with murder after a 17-year-old was beaten to death over a pair of stolen headphones.
The arrests were made about two weeks after a mob of teenagers was filmed aggressively beating Jonathan Lewis Jr, a student at Rancho High School in Las Vegas.
Graphic footage of the brawl was spread widely on social media, and appears to show at least 10 individuals swarming the victim.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt Jason Johansson called the footage ‘very graphic, and in my opinion very void of humanity.’
The fight took place on November 1. Police were called to the Las Vegas high school after receiving reports of what was believed to be a case of battery.
Investigators quickly determined that a fight took place in an alleyway directly east of Ranch High School almost immediately after students were dismissed that afternoon.
A nearby Good Samaritan found Lewis unconscious and unresponsive in the alleyway some time after the fight occurred. They carried him back to the high school, then called 911.
Lewis was hospitalized at University Medical Center, where doctors determined he sustained ‘non-survivable head trauma.’ He was declared medically brain dead on November 7.
An autopsy determined his cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma.
Police opened a murder investigation shortly after Lewis was declared brain dead. After thoroughly reviewing videos posted on social media, they determined at least 10 individuals took part in the killing.
Lt Johansson said police identified suspects ‘kicking, punching, and stomping our victim Jonathan as he is on the ground, not defending himself, to the point where he becomes unconscious.’
They also determined the fight was likely over stolen items.
‘During our investigation, we quickly learned that the fight was actually over a pair of stolen wireless headphones, and possibly over a stolen marijuana vape pen from incidents that occurred earlier in the week,’ Lt Johansson said.
Lewis’s father, Jonathan Lewis Sr, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that his son ‘stood up for one of his smaller friends’ who was being bullied.
After a week-long investigation, Metropolitan Police were able to identify eight of the ten suspected attackers.
Police and FBI agents conducted an ‘apprehension operation’ on Monday morning. They arrested all eight identified suspects, and executed nine search warrants across Las Vegas related to the beating.
The suspects were not identified by name due to their status as minors. They ranged in age from 13 to 17 and have all been charged with murder.
Johansson said that the investigation into the disturbing crime was ‘far from over.’ Investigators are still hoping to identify two more individuals that participated in the deadly fight.
Police are now asking parents in the community to speak with their children to find out if they have additional video or information about the fight.
‘You have to assume your kids have seen this video,’ Johansson said. ‘It has been shared widely on social media. Don’t put your head in the sand – please talk to your kids about it and explain. People need to know right from wrong, and this act was heinous.’
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