A shocking attack inside a Massachusetts McDonald’s has led to the arrests of four teenagers after video showed a masked group storming behind the counter and beating a young employee while dozens of other teens watched.
The violence erupted around 10 p.m. on Sept. 18 at a McDonald’s on Boston Street in Lynn, about 12 miles north of Boston.
Cellphone video from the scene showed several teens in black hoodies and masks rushing behind the counter and attacking a teenage worker.
The victim was knocked to the floor as people surrounded him, with some throwing punches while others filmed the chaos instead of stepping in.
Witnesses said the group had come from a nearby football game and packed into the restaurant shortly before the assault. One parent estimated there were anywhere from 40 to 75 young people inside.
Police said about a dozen officers eventually arrived and broke up the crowd.
The employee was injured but declined hospital treatment.
After several days of investigation, Lynn police announced that a detective assigned to the department’s Youth Services Unit had identified four juveniles believed to have taken part in the attack.
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All four were arrested Sept. 23 and taken to juvenile detention facilities. Their names have not been released because of their ages.
Police said each teen faces multiple charges, including assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and trespassing.
Authorities also charged the teens with a civil-rights violation involving injury, according to the original police announcement.
That charge is significant because Massachusetts law allows enhanced criminal penalties when violence or intimidation is allegedly motivated by bias against a protected characteristic such as race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Police have not publicly released detailed evidence explaining the alleged bias motive in this case, so the exact basis for the civil-rights charge remains unclear.
The viral video sparked outrage online because of how many people appeared to be watching and recording while the worker was being attacked.
One social-media user who reposted the footage wrote that “everyone stood there and filmed it laughing,” calling the scene horrifying.
Police have said the investigation is still active and that detectives are continuing to identify anyone else who may have been involved.
The McDonald’s incident was also one of at least two large teen disturbances reported in Lynn that weekend.
City officials said another group gathering was under investigation, adding to concerns about what some parents and local leaders described as a growing “teen takeover” problem.
Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson said he was deeply concerned by the violence and said young people must understand that their actions carry consequences.
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