Teen suspect, just 14, charged after violent confrontation with usher disrupts NBA Youngboy concert.NN
A 14-year-old accused of being the young thug filmed viciously beating up a 66-year-old usher at an NBA Youngboy concert has been charged with felony assault.
The teen, who has not been identified because of his age, was first arrested soon after the attack on Thomas Schlange at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Oct. 17, before being charged this week, Fox 4 News reported.
Schlange said he had just asked the boy to move, because he wasn’t in his assigned seat — just for the teen to toss him into a row of seats and unleash a barrage of punches.
Schlange — who has worked at the arena for 17 years — said he was happy charges had been pressed because “accountability is important.”
“But [it’s] actually kind of sad things got to this point,” he told Fox 4. “Restraint, cooperation and respect are important lessons to learn.”
He said he still doesn’t recall much of the assault and still feels emotionally shaken.
“I mean, it is serious; I went down and had blows to my head,” Schlange told Fox 4 after the attack. “He was so enraged, so we were just, in essence, trying to protect the fans.”
Schlange’s grandson, Herber Lopez, organized a fundraiser to help his grandfather with finances while he’s out of work recovering from his injuries. Images posted to the GoFundMe and shared on social media show Schlange’s bruised face.
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The disturbing moments were filmed by local pastor Robert McDaniel, who said the teen freaked out when he was told his ticket didn’t match where he was sitting.
“Immediately he just completely lost it,” McDaniel said.
Antonio Clayter, the only person who jumped in to stop the beating, told Fox 4 that the teen assault “spazzed out.”
The unidentified teen is charged with one felony assault charge and one misdemeanor assault charge. Hearings in the case are not open to the public per Missouri state law, officials said.
