[UPDATE] Las Vegas Authorities Arrest 8 High School Students Over Murder of 17-Year-Old

Las Vegas authorities announced the arrest of eight high school students who were allegedly involved in the fatal beating of a 17-year-old boy who was trying to protect his friend from a group of bullies.

The suspects' ages range between 13 and 17 and Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Jason Johansson said that investigators are still working to identify two more students. They believe that they also participated in the Nov. 1 fight that occurred over a pair of wireless headphones and a vape pen.

Las Vegas Police Arrest 8 High School Students

The law enforcement official said that the local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office helped with the initial arrests on Tuesday morning. He added that the two outstanding students will also face murder charges.

Authorities have not yet identified the high school students because they are juveniles and Johansson said that he and his team were working with the local district attorney's office to determine whether or not they will be charged with murder as adults, as per the Associated Press.

He noted that the 17-year-old victim was identified as Jonathan Lewis Jr. who remained hospitalized following the beating with severe "head trauma" and other injuries. He was declared dead after a week of trying to recover. The Las Vegas coroner's office ruled the beating of the teen a homicide.

Johnasson said that the fight had been pre-arranged after the headphones and vape pen were stolen from Lewis Jr.'s friend. He said that investigators believe that the victim originally was not supposed to be involved in the fight but had accompanied his friend to a nearby alleyway.

That was where the brawl was scheduled to take place after classes ended for the day at Rancho High School located in eastern Las Vegas. Following the teen's death, his father, Jonathan Lewis Sr. said that his son was attacked while standing up "for one of his smaller friends."

Law enforcement officials said that the 10 students immediately swarmed the victim, pulled him to the ground, and began kicking, punching, and stomping on him in the alley. After the brawl, he said that a citizen in the area found the victim badly beaten and unconscious in the alleyway and carried him back to campus, where school staff immediately called 911, according to USA Today.

Brutal Beating of 17-Year-Old

Video footage of the incident was later shared on social media platforms that police officials called "extremely disturbing" and "void of humanity." Investigators used the videos to identify eight of the 10 suspects.

Johansson added that clothing worn by the teenagers during the brawl and cellphones were recovered during the arrests. Las Vegas police will later release photos of the two other suspects and urged the public to assist investigators in identifying them.

Lewis Sr. said that his son was a "loving, kind, and protective young man who cared deeply about his friends and family." He added that the teenager was a hero who was only trying to help one of his smaller friends who was being bullied.

In a statement, the Clark County School District said that the entire school district "grieves the loss of every student." It added that District leadership and School Police were working with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the District Attorney's office in the case, said CNN.

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