Las Vegas police search for 10th ‘person of interest’ in teen’s fatal beating

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday announced that a ninth juvenile was taken into custody in connection with the fatal beating of a teenager.

According to a news release, the individual was arrested in the death of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. The juvenile was arrested and booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall for open murder, according to LVMPD.

In the release, Las Vegas police also noted that the department is still seeking assistance in identifying one individual connected to the death. According to the department, the individual was last seek wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and khaki pants.

Police initially announced that eight juveniles between the ages of 13 and 17 had been arrested in connection to the death. When the initial arrests were announced, Las Vegas police stated they were searching for two more in the incident. As of Tuesday, just one remains outstanding, according to police.

Prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged four of the individuals as adults with murder in the deadly beating. The two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds are charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit battery.

According to AP, the four teens - identified as Treavion Randolph, Dontral Beaver, Gianni Robinson and Damien Hernandez - will remain held without bail, but a judge on Tuesday granted a joint request from prosecutors and defense attorneys to transfer them from the county jail to the juvenile detention center, citing the teens’ safety.

The other students are awaiting separate hearings because they are all under the age of 16.

Authorities have said that the students at Rancho High School had agreed to meet off-campus after school to fight over items that the victim’s friend said were stolen, including a pair of wireless headphones and a vape pen.

Police Lt. Jason Johansson said the video of the brawl shows the victim taking off his shirt to prepare for the fight, and then the 10 students “immediately swarm him, pull him to the ground and begin kicking, punching and stomping on him.”

Johansson called the video “very void of humanity” and said the victim was not defending himself as he was being attacked.

Lewis was hospitalized with severe head trauma and other injuries and died a week later, according to the coroner’s office in Las Vegas, AP reported.

According to AP, detectives think the victim wasn’t originally targeted for the brawl, but he walked to the alleyway with his friend after school, Johansson said.

Police on Tuesday provided updated photos of the 10th individual that officers are working to identify.

Four Las Vegas teens have been formally charged with second-degree murder in their classmate's fatal beating.