Chandler takes aim at brass knuckles, unruly parties in response to 'Goons' attacks

Chandler officials are considering two new rules to crack down on unruly parties and limit the sale of brass knuckles to kids, both of which are part of the city's response to teen violence that has rocked communities across the East Valley.

City staffers unveiled plans for two new ordinances at Thursday's City Council meeting that will carry hefty penalties for offenders. Specifically, they include:

• A significant expansion of Chandler's unruly party regulations that will give police more power to break up parties and create a long list of new violations. The rules currently focus on underage drinking, rather than other violations like fighting and disturbing the peace.

• A ban on minors buying or possessing brass knuckles. Chandler is one of many Arizona cities that currently have no regulations on the books for the weapons.

Penalties for violating the proposed policies would also be ramped up. The maximum fines would be raised by two-thirds and officials are considering criminal charges for repeat offenders, which could carry months of jail time and years of probation.

Residents began demanding action after an investigation by The Arizona Republic in December. It found the "Gilbert Goons," a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the region for more than a year, according to interviews, court and police records, and social media posts.

Many attacks occurred in Gilbert at high school parties, with some involving the use of brass knuckles. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

Gilbert police failed to connect the attacks, prompting outrage from residents who asked Chandler officials in January to take on a leadership role in combating the regional issue. Chandler council members accepted that challenge and vowed to spearhead the effort.

There are still unanswered questions about the city's proposal.

It's unclear how the party house ordinance will be applied, depending on who's involved and where a violation takes place, or how the city can effectively enforce the brass knuckle ban.

City staffers are expected to present a more fleshed-out version of both policies to the City Council in the coming weeks. For now, here's what's on the table.

Big expansion to party ordinance, possible jail time for violators

Chandler's current party code, called the "Social Hosting" ordinance, was adopted in 2015. It lays out punishments for hosts of "a party of minors where liquor is served," which is narrower than the rules in cities like Tempe and Glendale that penalize everyone involved in a disruptive party, regardless of whether minors are drinking.

The 2015 code allows for fines up to $1,500 for hosts who break the rules, but only four kids and three adults have been cited in Chandler over the past three years. And Just two of those seven parties had more than 50 people in attendance, while none involved weapons.

City staffers now want to rename the code the "Unruly Gathering Ordinance" and expand what constitutes a violation beyond just underage drinking. It would include any gathering that "constitutes a threat to the public peace, health, safety or general welfare," which can range from fighting to blocking the road with too many cars.

It would be a lot like Tempe's rules, except Chandler's would still only punish party hosts who "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly permit an unruly gathering" rather than everyone on site. Scottsdale has a similar code on its books.

Chandler's proposal would also significantly beef up the punishments for offenders by increasing the maximum fine to $2,500. It could introduce criminal charges for scofflaws that could bring penalties up to three years of probation and six months in jail.

If the council adopts them, the criminal charges would apply to violators those who break the rules more than once within 18 months. City staffers described it as another "enforcement tool" for police, who would also get more power to break up rowdy parties under the new code.

"We absolutely want to deter the cool uncle (buying kids booze and hosting their parties). And then kids drive drunk (and) they get into fights," said Councilmember Mark Stewart. "That's not going to be tolerated in Chandler and that there's a possibility that (the arrest of the adult host) could happen. It's escalating the penalty."

Stewart added that "there will be some more definition around what the criminal charge would be" once the ordinance is drafted.

Chandler Spokesperson Matt Burdick said the main thing city officials are trying to figure out is how the code should work in different scenarios, such as when a gathering happens on public versus private property and how it would apply to kids and adults differently.

He said city staffers are putting together a draft version of the ordinance that would address those details. Burdick expects that to be presented to the City Council at its April 18 meeting, although that date could be pushed back.

Banning brass knuckles for minors, enforcement questions loom

Arizona is one of only 12 states in the country that doesn't ban brass knuckles, which Burdick said are typically "used in more an offensive (way), not defensive."

Both Phoenix and Yuma have rules against selling or transferring brass knuckles in those cities, but Chandler and other Valley cities have no such restrictions on their books.

That legality has become a central issue in the Goons saga. Members of the gang have been accused of using the weapons during some attacks, including one in 2022 against a high school student named Connor Jarnagan, who has been campaigning to outlaw brass knuckles.

Figures from Chandler show there have been 55 criminal and non-criminal cases in the city involving the weapon since 2021, including four that involved kids. A city presentation on the issue from Thursday's meeting contends "no pattern of use in criminal activity" in Chandler.

Officials don't want to ban brass knuckles outright, but they do want to regulate them. The current proposal would only prohibit "the sale to, or the supply of and possession of brass knuckles by minors" while keeping them legal for adults to own.

"We (want to) have an enforcement tool when there's kids who have brass knuckles because we believe it relates to some of the escalating teen violence that's occurred around the Valley," said City Attorney Kelly Schwab, who added that she does not believe the code would violate state or federal law.

Those who break that rule would face similar consequences to those who violate the proposed nuisance party ordinance: up to $2,500 fine, three years of probation and 180 days in jail.

The biggest concern from City Council members is how the ordinance can be enforced. Schwab said Chandler does not know how many of its stores sell brass knuckles and that if a minor buys them online, the city would likely be unable to enforce the rule against the seller.

"We have to have jurisdiction over the person selling. If it's online, we're not probably not going to have jurisdiction. So, we're not going to be able to hold them accountable," Schwab explained.

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: 'Goons' fallout: Chandler to crack down on brass knuckles, teen parties