15-05-2025
‘Really brutal': Azle teen recovering from roadside assault by ex, family says
A North Texas family is seeking justice after a police investigation found that a teenage girl was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend, who is accused of hitting her, choking her and throwing her out of a moving car.
The ex-boyfriend, who is a juvenile, has been arrested and the investigation is continuing to determine whether anyone else will face charges in the case, Reno police said in a news release.
The 16-year-old girl, identified by her family as Lily, left her home about 11:30 p.m. May 3 and got into a car with a group of friends, her aunt Rachel Brown told the Star-Telegram. The group then drove Lily to a remote location on Jay Bird Lane in Parker County and stopped the car, saying there was something wrong with the vehicle, according to the family.
At that point, Lily's ex-boyfriend opened the car door, dragged her out and began to beat and choke her while others recorded video of the assault, Brown said.
The boy was the father of a baby Lily had miscarried three weeks prior, Brown said. At the time of the assault, the girl was recovering from a procedure to help her complete the miscarriage, she said.
In the video of the attack, the boy is seen focusing hits and punches on her abdomen, Brown said.
'It was really brutal and intentional,' Brown said.
The ex-boyfriend also took Lily's phone and money before getting back into the car, her aunt said.
Lily then tried to retrieve her belongings from the car and the assault continued, Brown said. The car began to drive away, and the ex-boyfriend pushed her out of the moving vehicle, she said.
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A passing motorist saw Lily on the side of the road and allowed her to use his phone to call her family before driving her to the Azle Police Department, her aunt said. She spent a few days in the hospital being treated for internal injuries and road rash that came from being pushed out of the car, her family said.
Reno police said their officers responded to the Azle Police Department to interview the victim and she was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
The ex-boyfriend was arrested May 6, according to the statement from Reno police. His name has not been released because he is a juvenile. Police said he is charged with robbery, family violence assault by impeding breath, and family violence aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
Family violence charges include dating relationships under Texas law, police said.
No other arrests have been made, Rachel Brown said.
'The four other people in the car have faced no repercussions,' Brown said on Wednesday, May 14. 'We're told by law enforcement that things are happening, but we're 11 days out and they haven't faced any repercussions.'
Brown believes the other teens in the car were part of planning the assault. 'They planned it out, to take her out there and set her up,' she said.
Since being released from the hospital, Lily is 'extremely jumpy,' has been experiencing anxiety and can't sleep, Brown said.
'It just seems to be, in the younger generation, that violence is kind of cool,' Brown said. 'We as a family think it's important to show that it's not.'