Teen beats Hernando man who gave him a ride

HERNANDO (FOX 13) - Christopher Lyman's mouth is mangled, the result of repeated blows to the face from a glass bottle.

"Pretty sure if he hit me anymore I would've died," Lyman said when he spoke to FOX 13 News about his ordeal.

He said it happened Thursday night. He decided to give a 14-year-old stranger a ride from a Pasco County gas station. Lyman says he was just being nice. 

His passenger was Robert Wanye Cyr, a troubled teen, according to Hernando County deputies. He's been arrested multiple times.

In December, he and another teen were caught running from a stolen car.

Lyman says when he dropped Cyr off near Talisman Estates, Cyr allegedly started bashing him with that bottle, trying to steal his car. 

Luckily Lyman got away.

"I was being really nice. I gave him my number saying, 'if you need a ride call me.' I was being really nice to a random stranger," he said.

"We see an escalation here. We're very concerned," said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

Sheriff Nienhuis said he wants to see Cyr dealt with harshly, considering his past, present and what may lie ahead.

"Most young people we know deserve a second chance. When they start doing violent adult crimes, they need to be treated like adults," he said.

Cyr is currently in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice. 

As for Lyman, he's left with bruises, broken bones and a more permanent scar- shattered teeth. Friends have set up a GoFundMe account in hopes of raising enough money to help him get his smile back. Click here for more information.