Teen arrested in Mesa attack tied to 'Gilbert Goons' beatings, Preston Lord murder inquiry

A juvenile arrested Thursday in a Mesa beating is tied to multiple attacks on teenagers by the gang known as the "Gilbert Goons."

The 17-year-old appears in three separate videos of gang assaults recorded by members of the Goons and shared on social media; one at a Mesa park, another at a Gilbert In-N-Out Burger, and a third in a Gilbert parking garage.

The teenager's house is one of four in the wealthy Gilbert enclave 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.

Maricopa County Juvenile Court officials confirmed the teenager appeared before a judge on Friday. He was booked into the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Center, accused of aggravated assault. A judge ruled he should remain detained, according to a spokesperson for the court.

The boy's mother declined to comment on Friday when contacted about her son's arrest. She also did not respond to questions about the attack videos or a photo shared on TikTok showing her son holding a gun.

He was arrested in connection with a May 29 assault against another minor in a park near Val Vista Drive and Pueblo Avenue. A report was not filed with police until Jan. 4 when a man reported his stepson was the victim of the assault, police said.

The teenager is one of seven individuals — three adults and four juveniles — arrested in the past four days by authorities in Gilbert, Mesa and Pinal County for their roles in video-recorded beatings. The latest arrest occurred late Friday in connection with a Nov. 18 beating near San Tan Mountain Regional Park.

The arrests come after a Dec. 14 investigation by The Arizona Republic that first reported the Gilbert 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, according to interviews, court and police records, and social media posts.

Most attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in Lord's fatal beating at a Halloween party.

Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg initially 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." Victims have since referred to their attackers as being associated with the Goons, according to the department.

Gilbert police since have opened nine investigations related to what officials there describe as "teen violence" cases: Four were reopened, and five were previously unreported to the department. Officials are seeking the public's help in identifying suspects.

Teenagers scatter after police called to park

A video clip of the Mesa attack shows a crowd of teenagers around a boy on the ground who is being hit repeatedly by a teen standing over him. As the pummeling continues, another boy steps into the frame and stomps on the victim. The clip is less than 10 seconds long.

Although the attack was not reported to police at the time, a "subjects disturbing" call was recorded by police, according to dispatch information.

About 9:30 p.m., a caller reported a fight in progress among 30 to 40 teenagers, both boys and girls. At that time, several vehicles started to leave the area, including one with a girl who had been fighting, police said.

Officers saw several people in the park who started scattering, according to the dispatch information. Police contacted some of the juveniles in the park and at a nearby apartment complex but saw no physical injuries.

No potential victims sought help, and no juveniles admitted to fighting or watching a fight, according to the dispatch record. The call was closed, and no report was written.

Police said they won't release the name of the 17-year-old arrested because he is a minor. The case remains active, police said.

The Republic is not naming juveniles, even in cases in which they were convicted of assaults and other crimes, because they are underage. None has been charged or identified by authorities as suspects in Lord's killing.

Parent defends 17-year-old on social media

The 17-year-old's mother has defended her son on Facebook and threatened "legal action" against parents and community activists in the southeast Valley who have created websites dedicated to ending teen violence and demanding justice for Lord.

She pushed back at posts naming her son as one of Lord's attackers, saying they were putting her family at risk. In a December post on a Facebook page in the name Lily Waterfield, she acknowledged her son was at the party where Lord was killed but said he had no involvement with the victim.

Waterfield, started in response to Lord's killing, is a hub for discussion among parents, students and activists. It is operated by a pair of Gilbert mothers who said they wanted to bring attention to the case and the spate of teen violence rocking the southeast Valley suburbs.

"Would you turn your child in if he was at a party where something awful happened?" the boy's mother said in the post. "For you and everyone here to judge & attack my family, parenting and livelihood is completely unacceptable & full blown slander."

The mother said her family was cooperating with authorities "the best we can."

"Your page is causing threats and more violence and false accusations," she said in the post. "Trying to ruin other lives does not bring justice to Preston."

The Republic is not naming the mother because it would identify her son.

Teen's house targeted in Preston Lord investigation

The 17-year-old's house was targeted in an intense Nov. 6 police search, according to neighbors who were blocked for hours from returning to their own homes.

Police descended on the gated community near the Latter-day Saints' Gilbert Arizona Temple — where houses sell for more than $1 million — with automatic weapons, an armored vehicle and evidence vans.

Streets were shut down as black-clad officers led by Queen Creek police positioned themselves around the neighborhood and executed multiple search warrants, according to neighbors, who quickly connected the searches to Lord's killing.

Several teenagers living in Whitewing told their parents what was up; they had attended the party where Lord was killed and explained the connection to the homes being searched, neighbors said.

Police escorted residents from the targeted homes, letting them sit on curbs as investigators carried out heavy paper evidence bags.

The Republic verified the four addresses where searches took place through interviews and photographs provided by neighbors. The names of four boys living in the homes correspond to social media posts connected to members of the Goons.

Queen Creek police on Dec. 28 announced they are seeking criminal charges against seven "adults and juveniles" in Lord's death and have turned cases over to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review.

Prosecutors are considering whether there is evidence to charge the Goons as members of a criminal street gang. County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on Wednesday declined to give a timeline for the review, which she said must be thorough and deliberate.

"Because we all want the right outcome," Mitchell said. "We all want to see justice for Preston."

Photo, videos on social media show weapon, beatings

Among many social media posts is a picture of the 17-year-old posing with what appears to be a gun. The photo appeared on his TikTok account, which included his handle.

The image, taken at night, shows three boys. One is exhaling a heavy cloud of smoke, another is sitting atop a stop sign and the 17-year-old is holding the black handgun in his right hand and flashing a thumbs up with his left. He appears to be smiling.

The teenager has been identified by multiple southeast Valley residents who have reviewed the posts and cataloged them, including Waterfield co-operator Kristine Brennan and community activist Katey McPherson, a former teacher and school counselor.

Both have organized rallies and marches to bring attention to Lord's death. They have appeared at public meetings in Queen Creek, Gilbert and Chandler, calling for action on teen violence. They have also blasted Gilbert police for failing to connect beating videos to the Gilbert Goons in the year before Lord died.

One of those videos shows the 17-year-old in the scrum of teenagers beating a boy during a December 2022 attack outside the In-N-Out at San Tan Village Parkway and East Williams Field Road. The video lasts 26 seconds. The victim was hit at least 23 times by at least four attackers.

Some of the assailants in the video are identifiable as Goons from other social media posts and individual accounts.

Another video shows the 17-year-old in a Gilbert parking garage, where a boy is hit, thrown on the ground and stomped while another boy is seen being held on the ground. It is unclear in that video if the 17-year-old participated in the beating, although he appears to help prevent a victim from escaping while an attacker yells, "Someone get him!"

Brennan said the videos make her nauseous. She said the Gilbert Goons have been allowed to terrorize the southeast Valley long enough.

"Our children should not be afraid to go out at night," Brennan said. "Our community should not live in fear."

Republic reporters Miguel Torres and Jimmy Jenkins contributed to this story.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at [email protected] or 602-444-8694. Follow him on X @robertanglen.

Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at [email protected] or 480-466-2265. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arrested teen tied to other attacks by 'Gilbert Goons,' Lord murder case