Gilbert police arrest 3 in connection with two 'Goon' attacks from 2022
Three additional arrests were made Wednesday in connection with attacks involving teens in the southeast Valley, Gilbert police announced.
This brings the total number of people arrested in attacks tied to the gang known as the "Gilbert Goons" to at least 12 since The Arizona Republic first reported on the group's serial assaults that went unchecked for more than a year.
Gage Garrison, 19, Kyler Renner, 18, and a 17-year-old were arrested in an assault on an adult on Dec. 3, 2022, that took place in a parking garage in downtown Gilbert.
Gilbert police acknowledged they shelved the case for "a lack of investigative leads" until December, when the department received a video of the incident. On Jan. 11, police asked the public for help identifying the individuals in video stills.
A video of the attack reviewed by The Arizona Republic showed other attackers who have not been arrested or charged. Among them is a 17-year-old who has been arrested in connection with an attack at a Mesa park. He also appeared in a video of an attack outside the Gilbert In-N-Out Burger.
The same teenager's house is among those in the gated Gilbert community of Whitewing searched by police in connection with the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord in Queen Creek, interviews and records show.
Kyler Renner also was arrested Wednesday in connection with a second attack. That assault on a juvenile took place outside of a home near Higley and Riggs roads on Nov. 22, 2022. Gilbert police also said they are pursuing drug possession and paraphernalia charges against Kyler Renner, pending lab analysis.
He is the son of Becky Renner, the owner of a Gilbert OHM Fitness gym. She was recently stripped of her franchise rights over her family's alleged involvement in the death of Lord. His father, Travis Renner, 50, was arrested Wednesday by Gilbert police on suspicion of drug possession and paraphernalia charges.
Parents, students and community members have publicly accused another son of the Renners, a juvenile, of being involved in the attack on Lord. The Renner home was also among those searched in Whitewing by police in November as part of the investigation into Lord's death, which is being led by Queen Creek police.
Police have not named any suspects in Lord's death, and no one has been charged. Gilbert police on Wednesday said the three arrests are independent of Queen Creek's investigation into Lord's death.
Related cases: Teen arrested in Mesa attack tied to 'Gilbert Goons' beatings, Preston Lord murder inquiry
Members of the Gilbert Goons were involved in Lord's fatal beating at a Halloween party, according to community organizers who have launched a campaign calling for justice in the case. Lord's body was left lying in the street, and he died two days later.
Wednesday's arrests come after an investigation by The Republic in December found the Goons, a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year.
Most of the attacks took place in Gilbert. Police began arresting people tied to the Goons in January. Gilbert police have since arrested at least eight people. Mesa police have arrested two. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office also has arrested two.
Brass knuckles, beatings, fear: Random attacks on teens loom over Preston Lord murder case
Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg said officers never connected the attacks because victims did not specifically mention "Gilbert Goons" — and the department did not have police reports associating the Goons "to any alleged criminal activity."
Soelberg is scheduled to talk about the cases and the ongoing investigation into teen violence on Thursday.
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Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at [email protected] or 602-444-8694. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 adults, 1 juvenile arrested in connection with 'Goon' attacks