Gilbert council, police go public to tackle 'Goons' and teen violence
The first meeting of a Gilbert council panel to look into teen violence in the southeast Valley was big on ideas and talk but remained thin on new details or concrete action.
The meeting on Thursday, like a police media conference just before it, followed public pressure over the town's response to teen attacks. Neither quelled local frustration over Gilbert's handling of the problem, which many called lackluster.
Both events came in response to the widening investigation into a gang of mainly affluent teenagers called the "Gilbert Goons," which has been blamed for the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord in Queen Creek and a spate of vicious ambush attacks in Gilbert, Mesa and Pinal County.
Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson formed the subcommittee with council approval in response to residents' growing concerns.
The subcommittee discussed conducting a youth violence survey, hosting community listening sessions and received a brief statement from Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg about ongoing investigations into the “Gilbert Goons.”
Fewer than a half-dozen community members attended the meeting. The women who spoke at the meeting called for parental accountability for teens and asked to engage local school districts and teachers.
Before the meeting, Soelberg for the first time answered questions publicly at a news conference about the case. He said there would be more arrests and that the department was using facial recognition software to identify suspects.
The council subcommittee's formation comes after an investigation by The Arizona Republic in December found that the "Gilbert Goons" had engaged in a string of blitz-style attacks on other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year.
Most attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the fatal beating of Lord at a Halloween party Oct. 28.
Gilbert police have nine active investigations related to teen violence, according to the department's website. Four are reopened investigations. The others were previously unreported.
Case left inactive: Gilbert police shelved teen attack despite suspect interview on day of incident
There was no discussion from the three council members about the growing community criticism of how the town Police Department handled various investigations into attacks across town.
Bongiovanni proposed getting a state lawmaker to sponsor a bill to make it illegal for a minor to buy brass knuckles.
Records showed Goons attacked teens using brass knuckles.
The trio will update the full Town Council on the preliminary plans and potentially make recommendations to staff at its Tuesday meeting.
For first time, Gilbert chief answers questions about teen violence
Soelberg addressed questions for the first time on Thursday and promised more arrests in the department's teen violence investigations would be coming.
Soelberg said detectives were working to determine who was and who was not a Goon as part of their widening investigation.
Who are the 'Gilbert Goons'? What to know about teen gang accused of vicious attacks
Soelberg previously said officers never connected the attacks because victims did not specifically mention the gang. Victims since have referred to their attackers as being associated with the Goons, according to the department. Gilbert police have opened multiple investigations related to what officials there describe as "teen violence" cases.
Stephanie Jarnagan, whose 16-year-old son was attacked on Dec. 30, 2022, outside the In-N-Out Burger in Gilbert, watched Soelberg's livestreamed news conference and was not impressed.
"I’ve been waiting to hear from the chief because I have a great respect for law enforcement," Jarnagan said. "After hearing from him, I believe his goal was to try and prove that this is all overblown, and to deflect any blame and shift it to victims because we didn’t use the word Goons. It was disappointing."
A father wonders and asks: If Gilbert police had acted sooner, would Preston Lord be alive?
Police have obtained copies of videos of beatings recorded by members of the Goons from the public and the media, Soelberg said. He added detectives are trying to authenticate the images and identify individuals who participated.
One tool detectives were using was facial recognition software, he said.
The chief addressed concerns and accusations leveled by students, parents and community activists that police failed to connect the Goon attacks before the fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord on Oct. 28 in Queen Creek.
"It's now becoming clear that some individuals themselves have been associating themselves with the term Gilbert Goons," Soelberg said.
He said the department was looking internally whether more could have been done as detectives continue pursuing cases.
Back in trouble: Teen punished last year for Gilbert attack arrested again on related charge
The town saw an uptick in teen violence two years ago, Soelberg said. Since then, the department has been taking steps to address assaults involving teenagers. As of Wednesday, 22 arrests had been made in the past 15 months, Soelberg said. Not all were Goon-related.
A December investigation by The Arizona Republic first connected the Gilbert Goons to attacks that have gone almost unchecked for more than a year. The department has since opened or reopened nine cases as part of its new "teen violence" investigation, Soelberg said.
Gilbert police have arrested five teens tied to the Goons since Jan. 9.
Community survey for teens and teachers
Bongiovanni proposed hiring an outside firm to build and conduct a survey to get a pulse of what teenagers in the town and schools are feeling and experiencing.
He proposed going to schools and talking with kids before urging them to fill out the survey.
He said he wants to make sure any survey they do is statistically valid and that he doesn’t want to make a “bad decision” on bad data.
Higley Unified School District board member Anna Van Hoek suggested to the committee to include an option to get feedback from teachers and to find a way to get anonymous responses because many fear retribution.
She also pointed out to the committee that a survey for minors would need to come with parental permission.
Anderson said he wanted to have community listening sessions as well, but the meeting ended without any specific dates.
Chandler resident Amieé Valenzuela-Altomare suggested that the committee host the sessions in a less formal setting, such as a gymnasium or school cafeteria, to make it more welcoming for parents.
Queen Creek police: Preston Lord, 'Gilbert Goons' cases 'top priority'
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.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert panel wants teen survey on violence, listening sessions