Dad of Las Vegas teen beaten by mob defends cops’ delay in arrest

The father of the Las Vegas teen who was fatally beaten near his high school while allegedly defending his friend said that police are working hard to secure an arrest nearly two weeks later – and that the school’s attempt at intervention caused “a lot of problems” in the investigation.

Jonathan Lewis Sr. — whose son 17-year-old son, who was also named Jonathan, died on Nov. 7 from the brutal beatdown — defended local authorities efforts into the assault, which occurred just blocks from Rancho High School in Las Vegas.

“I’m in close contact with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Detective Division and they are working very diligently [on this case],” Jonathan Lewis Sr. told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert.

Vittert pressed Lewis Sr. on whether he believes police are stalling in the investigation into the fatal beating, which was captured in alarming video footage.

“If you’re part of a gang that attacks somebody and somebody dies. You get arrested for murder. That’s just the way it works. Why has it taken so long?” the anchor asked.

Lewis Sr. acknowledged that cops haven’t commented publicly on why they haven’t made an arrest, but said they are working diligently to collect evidence.

“There’s other videos that are not released to the public just so that you’re aware of that,” he said.

“And exactly what occurred was that Jonathan was actually attacked first by a few kids and they couldn’t beat him up because he was so strong. And then so all the other kids joined in and beat him to death after that,” he added.

The investigation was also further complicated by school officials who “gathered up” some of the perpetrators even though they were cautioned not to do so, Lewis Sr. claimed.

“So the investigation got a lot more complex,” he admitted.

Lewis was defending a smaller friend who had been stuffed into a trash can when the mob set upon him, his father previously claimed.

The gaggle of angry adolescents viciously hit and kicked Lewis, who was extremely outnumbered, the troubling footage showed.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment on the incident.

“Jonathan just knew the great strength of love,” Lewis Sr. said of his son’s heroic final act.

The teen grew up in a family of military veterans – including Lewis Sr.’s father, a retired Navy specialist master diver, and grandfather, who is a “highly decorated” World War II veteran, the grieving parent explained.

“It’s really shaken us to the core. This is just an act of brutality that I’ve never witnessed at Rancho High School,” Reuben D’Silva, a state assemblyman who is also a teacher and alumnus of Rancho High School, told NewsNations.

As of Tuesday morning, a GoFundMe started by Lewis’ family had raised over $75,000 – more than doubling its original $25,000 goal.

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