The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Vegas teen beaten to death by mob of 15 bullies outside high school after standing up for ‘smaller friend’
“One of his smaller friends had something stolen by this group of 15, and they threw the small boy in the trash can, and our son confronted them and he was attacked,” according to a GoFundMe page s…
nypost.com
Vegas teen beaten to death by mob of 15 bullies outside high school after standing up for ’smaller friend’
By
Richard Pollina
Published Nov. 12, 2023, 10:55 p.m. ET
More On: las vegas
-
New Edition is putting on a 2024 Las Vegas residency. Get tickets now
-
Las Vegas strip club offers free lap dances to military members for Veteran’s Day
-
O.J. Simpson, 76, appears frail as he’s spotted walking in Las Vegas
-
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle make surprise appearance at Katy Perry show
A Las Vegas teen has died after he was beaten by a group of bullies for coming to the defense of a “smaller” friend who was thrown into a trash can, the student’s grieving dad said.
Jonathan Lewis, a 17-year-old student at Rancho High School, died last Tuesday — less than two weeks after he was savagely beaten by a mob of 15 kids, his father, also named Jonathan Lewis, confirmed to 8 News Now on Thursday.
“One of his smaller friends had something stolen by this group of 15, and they threw the small boy in the trash can, and our son confronted them and he was attacked,” according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.
Alarming footage from the Nov. 1 attack — only blocks from Lewis’ high school — shows the teen confronting one of the alleged bullies before throwing a punch.
Seconds later, the mob of violent kids swarmed Lewis and began hitting and kicking the outnumbered teen repeatedly in the head as he lay defenseless on the ground.
00:05 04:03
4
Jonathan Lewis, 17, died about two weeks after getting attacked by a mob outside Rancho High School in Las Vegas.GoFundMe
A second, extended video of the heartless beatdown shows one of Lewis’ friends rushing to help as the violent bullies swarm around him.
The unidentified friend is seen frantically trying to rip away the 15 attackers before receiving a harsh blow to the back of the skull — forcing him to retreat from the madness for his own safety.
Some of the bullies attacking Lewis are then seen chasing his friend and punching him in the head until he falls to the ground.
Before the video cuts out, up to five of the bullies are seen surrounding Lewis’ friend as he tries to get back up, delivering a flurry of severe kicks and punches.
4
Police plan on charging several students involved in the assault.8newsnow
Lewis’ girlfriend reportedly gave a statement confirming her boyfriend was standing up for his smaller friend, the family shared.
“He’s a courageous young man,” his family wrote on their fundraising page.
Following the attack, police officers found Jonathan bleeding from the head.
Paramedics rushed to his aid, performing chest compressions on Lewis before transporting him to the hospital.
The teen was put on life support at University Medical Center, where he died last Tuesday.
4
Lewis was brought to the hospital and put on life support after the attack.GoFundMe
The senior Lewis shared that he kept his son on life support for several days, holding out hope that he would wake up.
“I just love my children with all my heart, and it’s just unimaginable that we could ever come to this point,” Lewis’ father told 8 News Now.
Lewis’ father — who lives in Texas — said his son mainly kept to himself and had planned on moving to Austin to live with him before the tragic attack.
The father hopes the incident could be part of a conversation about youth violence in the city.
“Violence just begets more violence and these children don’t even know what they’re doing half the time,” his dad said.
4
Lewis’ father said he hopes the students responsible for his son’s death are “able to come to terms with what they’ve done.”GoFundMe
The father also shared that the family was told by investigators they plan to charge several students with murder in Jonathan’s death.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s homicide unit is investigating the incident, but so far no arrests have been made, the outlet reported.
“I hope there’s a way that can find forgiveness in their heart and find a way to be able to come to terms with what they’ve done,” he said.
Last edited by a moderator: