Chandler pledges 'zero tolerance,' to 'Goons' attacks, promises teen outreach

Chandler officials unanimously pledged Thursday to crack down on youth violence and invest in preventing it, in a largely symbolic move to cement the city's "zero-tolerance" approach to a series of brutal beatings across the East Valley.

The pledge is a response to residents who demanded the city take action after an ongoing investigation by The Arizona Republic found that a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, called the "Gilbert Goons," had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the region for more than a year.

Many attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord outside a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

A somber Nick Lord, the dead boy's father, captured the public mood of the moment when he addressed Chandler's elected leaders.

"It did not happen in Chandler, but we can all agree that the impact of youth violence is far more widespread than we all could have imagined at this point," Lord said. "Our community cannot afford to be complacent. It's important to me and my family that we are a part of the solution."

There haven't been any beatings in Chandler directly tied to the gang, but the police department recently obtained footage of a teen attack at a party within city limits last spring. The video shows a group of young men beating, tackling and stomping another young man at a party while dozens of onlookers watched — hallmarks of known Goon attacks.

The department announced Tuesday it was investigating the incident.

Thursday's council pledge condemns teen violence in the region and reaffirms Chandler's promise to both investigate and work to prevent it from happening. It lays out the city's commitment to work with about a dozen local youth groups in its efforts and it encourages residents to help the city tackle the problem.

Chandler has spent the past two months trying to succeed where Gilbert failed on the issue of teen violence.

Gilbert police failed to connect the Goons attacks for at least a year because victims did not specifically mention "Gilbert Goons" and the department did not have police reports associating the Goons "to any alleged criminal activity," according to Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg.

Community members contend that failure allowed the attacks to continue far longer than they otherwise would have, leading to more young people getting harmed.

Activists disillusioned with Gilbert's inaction asked Chandler to take the lead on tackling the issue last month, suggesting it spearhead a broader regional effort with Gilbert and Queen Creek because the social lives of young people living in the three suburban communities are so closely intertwined.

"Chandler, Queen Creek and Gilbert are separated by invisible boundaries. But this is not their problem. It's our problem," Chandler resident Lisa Alger told the City Council on Jan. 11.

Chandler officials accepted that challenge. They have been ramping up efforts by doing everything from creating a teen violence webpage to field resident reports, to reviewing investigations of teen violence that occurred in Chandler over the past two years, to opening a new probe into a possible Goon attack that took place last year.

Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said the city's new pledge "is another statement saying that we are committed to being safe and vibrant in our city and condemning violence of all kinds."

Thursday's pledge also includes a promise that Chandler will work to combat the issue with about a dozen local youth groups, such as Aspire Academy, the Police Cadet Program, Teen Leadership Academy, the Fire Cadet Program and the Mayor’s Youth Commission.

Hartke said the city is exploring other "proactive" measures, as well, such as changing certain city rules that could help nip problematic gatherings in the bud.

"We are also looking at ... assessing some of our social gathering ordinances that would be pertinent," he said, adding that city leaders may look at "gatherings that have gone past normal into being destructive, and seeing what we can do with our code."

Hartke said Chandler is "also looking at sponsoring a gathering with the city or police and residents to answer any questions."

Those questions abound. For two months, they've been heard throughout the southeast Valley in public meeting after public meeting. Why became how. As information came to light, how became "how did police miss this?" Outrage led to a new question: How will communities stop it?

Preston Lord's stepmother, Melissa Ciconte, again personified that sentiment when she spoke to the Chandler council.

"There are many contributing factors that lead to a result from teen violence. But that is not why we are here tonight. Tonight is about what we are going to do about it," Ciconte said. "Combating issues with teen violence and setting the bar so that this will not be acceptable in the city of Chandler (has) let the neighboring cities and towns know that Chandler is the leader for real change."

That dynamic between Chandler's Police Department and residents goes both ways when it comes to nabbing those responsible for the possible Goons attack that took place last year.

Police are asking Chandler residents for help identifying both the victims and perpetrators of that crime. The department on Tuesday published recently obtained pictures and video of the incident online, with the people they are looking for circled in red.

The video shows a group of young people fighting at a party that took place near East Riggs Road and South Val Vista Road on April 1, 2023. Police had responded to that gathering but didn't find any witnesses or other evidence of a crime, so they only cited some youths for liquor violations.

The newly unearthed footage was the proof they needed to probe deeper. The next step is figuring out who they need to go after.

The department wrote that anyone with information should "contact Chandler PD’s dedicated tipline at 480-782-4299 or email your tips to [email protected]. Additionally, you can also contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377)."

Hartke said he hopes the new footage and Chandler's investigation can help mitigate the regional problem by smoking out those responsible.

"We received (the new footage) and we want to get it out. If there is something here that will ... lead to (apprehending) some bad actors in our community, then we want to participate in that whether they're creating crime in Chandler or the East Valley or anywhere," he said.

"If we can identify (the individuals responsible), we might be able to change a life and maybe alter the direction of someone who is going in a bad direction."

Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X @KmackSam or reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chandler vows 'zero tolerance' on teen violence amid 'Goons' attacks