Members of a wealthy Arizona gang known as the “Gilbert Goons” were arrested last week in connection with violent attacks on teenagers that were captured on video.
Authorities in Gilbert, Arizona, arrested two men Wednesday in connection with a gang assault on a high school student and warned that additional arrests may be made. The Arizona Republic reported.
The so-called “Gilbert Goons” have been terrorizing the community for more than a year and are also reportedly involved in the assault on 16-year-old Preston Lord, who was killed during a Halloween party on October 28. ing.
Authorities arrested 21-year-old Jacob Pennington in connection with the videotaping of the brutal assault on the 16-year-old high school student on Nov. 19, just two weeks after Lord's death.
Mobile phone footage of the assault shows a group of attackers surrounding the victim and taking turns beating him as he tries to run away.
The attackers chased the victim, punched him with their feet and fists, and slammed him against concrete, the video showed.
Police said the unidentified boy suffered minor injuries, but they were unable to identify his attacker. Pennington has been identified in at least another videotaped attack, according to the Republic.
Police also confirmed Wednesday the arrest of Christopher Fantastic, 18, in connection with the Aug. 18 beating of a 16-year-old boy at Gilbert In-N-Out Burger.
Fantastic was charged with assault and robbery and is being held on $25,000 bail, according to the Republic.
There were other accomplices in the case, prosecutors said Wednesday, noting that the attack was one of several carried out in Gilbert by groups including Fantastic.
Three other people were named on assault charges and released Tuesday, according to records reviewed by The Republic.
One of them, Alice Arredondo, is listed as an adult, but the other two were juveniles.
Following Mr. Fantastic's arrest, the Gilbert City Council on Tuesday created a subcommittee to investigate teen violence, and Mayor Brigette Petersen said the issue had her “bones broken.”
Most of the gang attacks took place in Gilbert and involved many similar victims and the same perpetrators, who later shared photos and videos of the assaults online, according to reports.
Police said there was no connection to the attack because the victim did not mention a gang. The group also received no police reports related to criminal activity.
Gilbert Police Chief Michael Solberg said officers are currently actively investigating nine cases related to teen violence, four of which are retrial cases.
