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20-year-old Jacob Pennington has been taken into custody for allegedly being involved in beating up a 16-year-old near San Tan Mountain Regional Park. The incident reportedly took place on November 19, 2023. According to AZ Central, this was one of the many attacks initiated by an apparent gang named "Gilbert Goons." The suspect has allegedly admitted to being a part of the gang.
According to law enforcement officials, five people have been taken into custody. The gang would mostly target high school teenagers and beat them up. Pennington, reportedly a member of the gang, was arrested and made public a day back. A bond of $5,000 has further been set for Jacob.
Self-proclaimed gang "Gilbert Goons" member Jacob Pennington has been accused of beating up a teenager in November 2023
Several attacks on high school teenagers took place over the years in Southeast Valley communities. On November 19, 2023, a student from Casteel High School was allegedly beaten up by Jacob Pennington. He was recently taken into custody, and a bond was also issued.
The court has placed certain conditions in case Jacob Pennington is released. He is prohibited from contacting the victim in any way and shall not try to contact any members of the alleged "Gilbert Goons." According to authorities, they could identify Pennington in at least one of the attacks that have been recorded on surveillance footage.
According to the arrest statement of Pennington,
"This investigation is ongoing. This investigation is independent and separate from Queen Creek's investigation into the death of Preston Lord."
Thus, police have yet to confirm if Jacob Pennington is a part of the gang. Local police are working with several law enforcement agencies, including Arizona Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM), the Mesa Police Department Gang Unit, the Queen Creek Police Department, and more, to investigate the matter.
Police are yet to confirm that 'Gilbert Goods' is a criminal street gang
A fatal attack on a teenager identified as Preston Lord, 16, took place on October 28 at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. According to AZ Central, community activists and parents believe the gang was involved in the attack. The Gilbert Police Department's official website has spoken about the incident and said,
"Initially, Gilbert PD did not have any reports where the victims or the suspects referred to "Gilbert Goons"; however, in recent information received from victims there are references to their assailants as being associated with "Gilbert Goons."
Authorities believe that the investigation will help them determine if "Gilbert Goons" can be treated as a street gang under Arizona law. AZ Central reported a statement issued by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb on social media where he said,
"So, this morning, PCSO arrested a suspect in the aggravated assault... on a teenager here in our county. This is an ongoing investigation, so I can't give you a lot of answers. There could potentially be a few more arrests stemming from this crime."
A similar incident occurred in August at a parking lot near Williams Field Road and Market Street. Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Christopher Fantastic. On Wednesday, the arrests that were announced were of five people: Jacob Pennington, Fantastic, 18-year-old Aris Arredondo, and two 16-year-old minors.
