Eight teenagers have been arrested and charged in the “senseless beating” of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr., as authorities revealed Tuesday that an after-school brawl in Las Vegas started over stolen headphones.
Eight suspects have been arrested and are being held in juvenile hall after disturbing footage of the violent killings circulated on social media over the past few days, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said in a news conference.
Lewis died Nov. 7 — less than a week after he was punched and kicked on the ground in a back alley near Rancho High School.
His cause of death was blunt force trauma and was classified as a homicide, authorities said during a press conference reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal.
The arrested teenagers, between the ages of 13 and 17 and students at Rancho High School, were quickly identified from the graphic video, police said. Two more suspects who have not been identified are still being sought.
None of the arrested teenagers have been named by police because of their age.
Lewis died earlier this month after being brutally beaten. GoFundMe.
The initial fight on Nov. 1 between Lewis and an unnamed peer was over stolen wireless headphones and possibly a stolen vape pen stemming from an incident earlier in the week, said Las Vegas Homicide Lt. Jason Johansson.
The items were stolen from either Lewis or one of Lewis’ friends, police said.
The victim’s father, also named Jonathan Lewis, previously said Lewis was defending one of his younger friends before the fatal fight.
Eight teenagers have been arrested so far. 8newsnow
“I just love my kids with all my heart, and it’s unimaginable that we could get to this point,” Lewis’ father previously told 8 News Now.
After the first punch was thrown between Lewis and his peers, a group of students swarmed him and pushed him to the ground where they continued their attack, according to footage posted online.
Johansson called the brutal attack “absolutely inhumane” and “despicable.”
Las Vegas police announced the arrest on Tuesday. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
He insisted police had no evidence the beating was a hate crime in response to speculation the attack involved a racial component.
The investigation is still “far from over,” as Las Vegas police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the other attackers, Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
