The family of a freshman girl who was beaten in a widely circulated video recorded, possibly racially motivated attack by another student at Lyons Township High School has received the support of a national civil rights lawyer, calling for a full investigation of the incident and potentially signaling legal troubles ahead for the school and its administration.
On May 5, attorney Andrew M. Stroth, of national civil rights firm Action Injury Law Group, of Chicago, issued the first public statement on behalf of the attack victim and her family, identified as the Lenti family.
“Based on (the attacker’s) history, direct communication between the Lenti family, their daughter and school officials and the video evidence captured by surveillance cameras, it’s clear that the school’s administration was on notice and failed to take appropriate actions to protect my client,” Stroth said in an emailed statement to The Cook County Record.
“As a result, a 14 year old teenage girl was brutally attacked and traumatized by another student with a documented history of bullying. The video speaks for itself,” Stroth added.
Stroth’s statements come about a week after the April 27 attack against the white freshman girl by a Black sophomore girl at the high school in suburban Western Springs.
In the video, which has been shared across social media and generated headlines in various news outlets, LTHS sophomore Heavyn Washington,16, of La Grange, is seen grabbing the 14-year-old victim as she exited a classroom, and proceeding to strike her several times about the head and face, and drag her by the hair across the floor.
The incident was video recorded from beginning to end by another student, identified as a 14-year-old LTHS student, of Countryside.
In the video, that student is heard cheering Washington on during the attack, shouting for Washington to “beat her racist ass.”
According to reports published by West Cook News, the incident was allegedly premeditated by Washington. The reports cite unnamed LTHS students and parents who assert Washington had been looking for a white person to beat up, and chose the victim.
According to those reports, Washington had earlier knocked a phone out of the victim’s hand, and told her she was going to beat her up.
According to those reports, one of Washington’s associates had allegedly warned the victim that the attack was coming that day. But when the victim reported the threats, she was allegedly sent back to class by school officials.
Despite the public nature of the incident, Western Springs Police waited until May 2 to begin investigating the attack, West Cook News reported.
Further, Stroth confirmed in an interview with the Cook County Record that police waited until the morning of May 5 to meet with the victim.
Stroth said the victim suffered a concussion and a sprained wrist, and “has been left severely traumatized” by the “brutal attack.”
To date, Washington has been charged only with misdemeanor battery stemming from the incident.
The student who recorded the incident has been charged with disorderly conduct.
It is unknown at this point what academic discipline the school may impose in connection with the incident.
Western Springs Police have assured the Lenti family that the investigation is continuing, Stroth said.
The attorney said he believed the nature of the incident should “support an enhancement of those charges” against Washington, perhaps to a felony.
Stroth declined to discuss at this point whether a lawsuit against the school was imminent.
Rather, he said he is representing the Lenti family’s interests in securing a “full and transparent independent investigation” of the incident, including what the school knew about it and did to stop it.
“The school was on notice (about the attack), and they failed to take action,” Stroth said.
Stroth has built his career as a civil rights lawyer and a sports law attorney. He has notably represented several prominent athletes and sports celebrities, including Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Dwayne Wade, Lovie Smith and more.
In civil rights litigation, he has notably represented people pressing claims of police brutality and wrongful conviction.
Stroth, who noted he is Black and a graduate of LTHS, said he became involved in the case “as an alumnus who actually cares about LT.”
At a minimum, Stroth said he hopes LTHS develops new policies and procedures to prevent such an attack from happening again to either this victim or other potential victims in the future.
“You may see this kind of thing happen in Chicago, but you don’t expect to see it at LTHS, in Western Springs, one of the best high schools in the state,” said Stroth. “It is shocking.”
The Cook County Record contacted an attorney for LTHS after speaking with Stroth, offering an opportunity for comment. The school attorney said she would contact LTHS administrators and reply later. As of the evening of May 5, the attorney had not yet replied.