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8 teens arrested in beating death of Las Vegas high school student

Authorities said the fight appears to have been over a pair of stolen headphones and a marijuana vape pen.
Entrance to Rancho High School in Las Vegas.
Posted at 8:27 AM, Nov 15, 2023

Eight Las Vegas teenagers have been arrested following the death of a 17-year-old student who was beaten near Rancho High School earlier this month. 

The Clark County Coroner's Office says Jonathan Lewis died from complications of multiple blunt force injuries.

All of the suspects are 13-17 years old and have been booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department says they are still looking to identify two more people involved in the beating and plan to release photos of them at a later date.

Lt. Jason Johansson says the initial 911 calls first came in after someone found Jonathan unconscious and brought him over to Rancho High School, where staff members immediately rendered aid until first responders arrived on scene.

The fight, according to LVMPD, appears to have been over a pair of stolen wireless headphones and a marijuana vape pen. It happened after school let out for the day.

LVMPD gave an update to the public on Tuesday afternoon. Watch below:

Someone in the group that attacked Jonathan recorded and uploaded the incident to social media. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it is actively investigating.

The Clark County School District said it is helping with the investigation and condemns any violence against its students. The district released the following statement Tuesday:

"All of CCSD grieves the loss of every student. While we can not provide additional information, as this is an active police investigation, please know that District leadership and School Police are working with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the District Attorney's office so those involved are held accountable for their actions. LVMPD is the lead investigative agency. CCSD does not tolerate violence or threats to students or their safety. We all must come together as a community to address the needs of our students so disagreements are resolved through dialogue rather than violence."

Last Thursday, Jonathan's father, Jonathan Lewis Sr., released the following statement:

"Today at 11:26 a.m., my son was pronounced dead. He will always be so loved. As his dad, I'll forever hold him in my heart, shine even brighter, love even more, and work all my life to bring peace into this world."

This story was originally published by Scripps News Las Vegas.