95 assaults, 29 arrests: 'Gilbert Goons' videos raise questions on lack of police action
Stay up to date: Arrests and other significant developments related to incidents described in this article will be added to The Arizona Republic's timeline of events about the Preston Lord investigation and Goons attacks.
Dozens of people can be seen hitting, kicking, stomping and pushing victims in videos tied to "Gilbert Goons" assaults across the East Valley — but fewer than one-third of those delivering blows have been arrested.
The last arrest in Goons attacks was more than two months ago, on Feb. 22, raising questions about the momentum of police investigations into the gang beatings.
The Arizona Republic examined 20 videos obtained from community members and social media and spent hours counting every person who made physical contact with a victim. Reporters also reviewed police reports and screenshots of beatings.
In all, 95 people participated in 18 attacks. Some of the same people were involved in more than one attack. Two attacks were captured in multiple videos, and videos for three attacks were unavailable.
The videos, shot guerrilla-style with cellphones by Goons during attacks and shared online, primarily were taken between November 2022 and November 2023, but some were undated. The recordings range from four seconds to one minute and 19 seconds. Some images are blurry and herky-jerky as cameras pan attacks and zoom in on assailants, but the assaults are clear.
Police so far have arrested 17 people in nine attacks. Some were arrested multiple times on suspicion of involvement in separate attacks, bringing the total number of arrests to 29.
Among those arrested are two people charged in the October fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord during a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Another person charged in Lord's death appears prominently in multiple Goons attacks, but he has not been arrested in connection with them.
Queen Creek police in March arrested three juveniles and four adults in the Lord case. All are charged as adults and have pleaded not guilty.
Nearly all of the attacks in the 20 videos occurred before the attack on Lord. A December investigation by The Arizona Republic first tied Lord's beating to the Goons, a gang of teenagers whose attacks on teens went unchecked by authorities for more than a year.
Authorities in Gilbert, Mesa and Pinal County began making arrests tied to the Goons in January.
Residents are outraged and baffled by the lack of arrests tied to the recorded Goons beatings. Since Lord's death, they said they have supplied police with videos and helped to identify attackers, only to be told to be patient.
"When there's a lack of leadership ... the patience meter is zero," said Katey McPherson, a former teacher and school counselor turned community advocate.
Most Goons attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents of beating victims said if police had acted sooner, Lord might still be alive.
Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg said officers are actively investigating assault cases tied to the Goons. He said it takes time to identify suspects, establish probable cause and interview victims. He said the department is leading efforts to determine whether the Goons can be classified as a criminal street gang.
Three of the Gilbert arrests occurred before January, but police did not connect those cases to the Goons until after The Republic's report.
"This is a pattern of behavior with the teen violence not only in Gilbert but throughout the East Valley and throughout the country," Soelberg told The Republic in a March 26 interview.
He maintained officers continue making arrests in what he calls "group teen violence" cases, even if they aren't directly connected to the Goons.
Soelberg said until Lord was killed, the department had nothing to link the beatings by suspect or location.
"We didn't have that pattern of the same individuals at the same locations committing the same, similar types of crimes prior to Preston being killed," Soelberg said.
The videos tell a different story.
Location: Gilbert In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger near San Tan Village Parkway and Williams Field Road was a favorite hangout of the Goons and the scene of seven parking lot attacks. A teen who was arrested in January told a Gilbert detective there was no reason to fear police: "Because all summer long there was fights happening at In-N-Out non-stop ... and cops never did anything about it, but now a kid dies, and everybody wants to do something about it."
Dec. 2, 2022: In-N-Out gang beating
Attackers: 7
Arrests: 3
Details: Police responded to a "fight call" but left after finding no evidence of one. Police received videos in January and initiated an investigation. Three people said they were assaulted by multiple people, but only one was willing to press charges. One of the victims said he was beaten with brass knuckles.
Fallout: Police in January arrested Jacob Pennington, 20, William Owen Hines, 18, and Tyler Freeman, 17, on suspicion of aggravated assault. Hines is one of the seven charged in Lord's death. Jacob Meisner, 17, who also faces charges in the Lord case, is pictured in the video but is not seen attacking anyone.
Dec. 3, 2022: In-N-Out melee
Attackers: 12
Arrests: 0
Details: A brawl erupted in the parking lot as Goons filmed. Dozens of people circle victims, some of whom launch assaults of their own. Five people were attacked.
Fallout: No arrests are tied to this video. Treston Billey, 18, who has been charged in Lord's death, is shown throwing punches. Jacob Meisner, 17, is pictured in the video but is not seen attacking anyone.
Dec. 30, 2022: In-N-Out brass knuckles beating
Attackers: 2
Arrests: 2
Details: More than a dozen Goons encircled 16-year-old Connor Jarnagan while he was standing outside his car. He didn't know them. According to court records, Tyler Freeman, then 16, first told Jarnagan to hand over cash and then the keys to his car. He hit Jarnagan in the back of the head with brass knuckles, according to records and interviews.
Fallout: Police arrested Freeman and another juvenile. Only Freeman was charged. He was convicted in juvenile court in April 2023 and was detained for about three months before being put on probation. Although police reported it was a group attack — and Freeman participated in random attacks with his peers — officers did not connect the assault to the Goons. Freeman in January was arrested and charged as an adult in other alleged attacks.
Aug. 18, 2023: In-N-Out summer beating
Attackers: 4
Arrests: 6
Details: Richard Kuehner said his 16-year-old son was targeted by Goons after he complained to school officials he was being bullied. A group of the Goons first threatened him at his house, then later caught him at In-N-Out. He was in the parking lot when the Goons attacked.
Fallout: Police initially shelved the case. In January, they arrested Christopher Fantastic, 19, Aris Arredondo, 18, Deleon Haynes, 19, and three juveniles on suspicion of aggravated assault and aggravated robbery. Fantastic, Arredondo and Haynes were all indicted. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to charge two of the juveniles. Prosecutors also dropped Arredondo's robbery charge.
Sept. 23, 2023: In-N-Out car assault; 'She's talking crazy'
Attackers: 2
Arrests: 2
Details: A girl was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car when police say a 17-year-old girl started hitting her. The assailant pulled the girl's hair to drag her out of the car. Bystanders can be heard telling the 17-year-old to stop. In a video obtained by police, her companion, Jacob Pennington, can be heard yelling: "Hell, nah, she's talking crazy." The girl's shoe fell off during the assault, which Pennington grabbed and held up to the camera, saying: "Got a f------ shoe, too. F--- that b----." The girl's parents later reported to police that a group of about 30 teens in ski masks showed up at the family home in an attempt to intimidate her.
Fallout: Mesa police turned over a video of the assault to Gilbert police on Jan. 29, 2024. The family told police they didn't come forward at the time of the attack for fear of retaliation. In February, police arrested the 17-year-old on suspicion of aggravated robbery, assault and disorderly conduct. Pennington was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery.
Unknown date: In-N-Out Instagram beef
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Details: A crowd of teens breaks out cellphones as one girl assaults another. She pummels the victim as others egg her on. No one tries to stop the attack.
Fallout: Nobody was arrested. But records and interviews indicate police officers talked to the attacker's family.
Unknown date: In-N-Out Snapchat beating
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Detail: A Snapchat video shows a girl beating another girl to the ground next to a parked truck. Two people try to pull the girls away from each other as the video ends.
Fallout: No arrests are tied to this video.
Location: Other sites in Gilbert
The Goons didn't limit beatings to the In-N-Out parking lot. They attacked teens at Gilbert house parties and parking garages. Some beatings were random, but others were planned, court records and interviews show. They are accused of setting up some victims and threatening them afterward. Assaults left teens hospitalized and traumatized.
Nov. 22, 2022: House party beating
Attackers: 9
Arrests: 4
Details: The Goons turned a house party near Higley and Riggs roads into a beatdown, again using brass knuckles. The juvenile victim asked the teens to leave the party, word of which had spread on Snapchat. Nine attackers surrounded the victim and took turns hitting and kicking him.
Fallout: The attack was not reported to police until Jan. 4, 2024. Police arrested four teens, including Tyler Freeman, 17, William Owen Hines, 18, Jacob Meisner, 17, and Kyler Renner, 18. All have been arrested in other beatings. Freeman, who is accused of using brass knuckles, was charged as an adult. Hines and Meisner face murder and kidnapping charges in Lord's death.
Dec. 3, 2022: Parking garage beating
Attackers: 5
Arrests: 4
Details: Two people are attacked. The Goons had followed one of them from a previous beating at In-N-Out to a parking garage near Gilbert Road and Vaughn Avenue in the town's historic district. He is thrown to the ground, then punched and kicked. Two other Goons force a second victim to the ground.
Fallout: A police report was filed on the night of the attack, but the case was listed as inactive. In January 2024, after the case was reactivated, police arrested Tyler Freeman, 17, Gage Garrison, 19, Kyler Renner, 18, and Jack Woods, 17. Renner, Garrison and Woods have been indicted by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Woods was charged as an adult. Jacob Meisner, 17, who is charged in Lord's murder, can be seen standing over the second victim.
Dec. 17, 2022: 'On your knees' beating with brass knuckles
Attackers: 7
Arrests: 4 (one person arrested twice)
Details: Goons surrounded Lori Nitzen's 16-year-old son outside a house party near Higley and Elliot roads. At least two Goons ordered him to get on his knees. He refused, and several of them pushed the boy against a brick wall and began punching him. One of his assailants used brass knuckles. Nitzen's son was knocked unconscious.
Fallout: Police, within two months of the attack, arrested Tyler Freeman, 17. He was convicted of assaulting Nitzen's son with brass knuckles. Although police noted dozens of juveniles were involved in fights at the party, they did not connect the case to the Goons. In December 2023, police reopened the investigation and arrested Freeman a second time, accusing him of burglary. They also arrested Gage Garrison, 19, and Cody Kostoryz, 18, who have been indicted on aggravated assault and burglary charges. Police also sought the arrest of an 18-year-old who was out of state, but prosecutors declined to charge him.
Unknown date: Sidewalk beating
Attackers: 2
Arrests: 0
Details: Two Goons assaulted a victim on a sidewalk near Guadalupe Road and Freestone Parkway. Gilbert police in January posted photos of the attack on their website and asked for help in identifying those involved. The department later said it had identified at least one of the attackers. Police are still requesting help in identifying the victim.
Fallout: Despite identifying an assailant, police have not made arrests in this attack.
Unknown date: Rooftop attack
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Details: The scene is included in a compilation of Goons attack videos set to the rap song "Wrath" by Freddie Dredd. The video (from seconds six to 10) shows an attacker running after someone on a parking garage rooftop. It ends with the attacker throwing punches on top of the victim. The blurry video makes it hard to identify either person.
Fallout: Police have not made arrests tied to this attack.
Location: Mesa
Mesa police were unaware of the Gilbert Goons until after Lord's death. Police Chief Ken Cost wrote in emails to top commanders that any attacks in Mesa would be dealt with promptly. “I don’t want us to miss anything with this group. If other agencies have their head in the sand, then so be it, but if this little group of criminals step foot in Mesa they will be held accountable. I feel, like (with) any other gang, our intelligence and gang folks should at minimum know who the players are as they are getting more brave. Million-dollar gangsters. Not here,” Cost wrote.
May 29, 2023: Mesa park beating
Attackers: 3
Arrests: 2
Details: A 16-year-old boy was lured to a party at a neighborhood park near Val Vista Drive and Pueblo Avenue, only to be assaulted almost as soon as he got there. The boy told police another teen confronted him over some past disagreement, according to court records. The boy said he was picked up and slammed to the ground. He described the attack as a “jumping“ that left him no way to defend himself, according to police records. He received multiple minor injuries and has scars from the incident.
Fallout: The fight was reported to police in May 2023. But it wasn't until Jan. 4, 2024, that the boy's stepfather filed a police report about the attack. Within two weeks, police arrested Christopher Fantastic, 18, and Jacob Meisner, 17. Both have been charged with aggravated assault. Fantastic was arrested in one other attack. Meisner was arrested in another attack and faces murder and kidnapping charges in Lord's death. A lawsuit filed on behalf of the victim's family alleged the son of a former Chandler elementary school principal planned the attack and made threats afterward. That boy was arrested in one other attack, but prosecutors declined to file charges.
Location: Pinal County
Three weeks after Lord was killed in Queen Creek, another Goons beating took place just a few miles away at San Tan Mountain Regional Park. After The Republic published a video of the attack, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a post on X: "If you had involvement in this case, my advice to you is to turn yourself in now because we will find you."
Nov. 18, 2023: Goons Wagon Wheel beating
Attackers: 2
Arrests: 2
Details: The attack occurred at night in an area known as Wagon Wheel. A 16-year-old who attended Casteel High School was chased and beaten as he ran from several people using cellphones as flashlights. In the video, attackers hurled obscenities at the boy and repeatedly used the N-word, though all appeared to be white.
Fallout: Deputies in January arrested Jacob Pennington, 20, and Garrett Bagshaw, 18. Pennington, in interviews, told authorities he was defending a girl who had been hit by the victim. He said he was part of the Gilbert Goons and the gang's name came from a Snapchat group chat. Pennington has been arrested in two other attacks.
Location: Chandler
A brawl at a Chandler house party shows 32 attackers punching and hitting partygoers and sometimes each other. The Republic has obtained five videos showing the fight from different angles. Some victims turned attackers as dozens of kids spilled out of the house and onto the lawn and street at a residence near Riggs Road and Val Vista Drive. Chandler officers responded to the fight but said they did not encounter any victims or find evidence of an assault. Police said in April 2024 they had closed the investigation because a single victim had refused to press charges. Police did not address other victims seen in the video.
April 1, 2023: Chandler house party Goons brawl
Video 1 Chandler brawl
Attackers: 2
Arrests: 0
Details: The minute-long video shows sporadic fights breaking out in the front yard. One of the people being hit was Treston Billey, 18, who has been charged with murder, kidnapping and robbery in Lord's death.
Fallout: None
Video 2 Chandler brawl
Attackers: 12
Arrests: 0
Details: The minutelong video shows attackers in the street surrounded by partygoers. Billey is knocked to the ground as more people rush in to hit him. Billey escapes and attackers go after others as the camera pans the scene. It centers once more on Billey, who is shown grappling with another person. Billey's attacker is beaten back by more teens.
Fallout: None
Video 3 Chandler brawl
Attackers: 10
Arrests: 0
Details: The 43-second video shows the driveway and lawn. Teens shove one another. One teen windmill punches another as others jump up on a small wall to watch. The camera shifts focus to another fight involving Billey and other teens.
Fallout: None
Video 4 Chandler brawl
Attackers: 7
Arrests: 0
Details: The 23-second video shows separate fights in the front yard in a halo of light cast by cellphones as teens record the action. Billey, in camouflage pants, is dragged along the ground in front of the camera.
Fallout: None
Video 5 Chandler brawl
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Details: The 21-second video shows an attacker punching and kicking someone on the ground surrounded by a crowd.
Fallout: None
Unknown locations
These videos were provided to The Republic after being pulled from Goons social media accounts and private group messages, including two from Karli Heinmiller, the mother of Talyn Vigil's former girlfriend. Vigil has been charged with kidnapping and murder in the death of Preston Lord. The videos were compiled from clips of various attacks and events not detailed above. The Republic has highlighted details in each.
Unknown date: Goons attack in street
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Details: The 15-second loop provided by Karli Heinmiller shows one Goon punching someone lying on the ground in front of a group of teens.
Fallout: None
Unknown date: Goons parking lot beating
Attackers: 3
Arrests: 0
Details: The scene was clipped from a video compiled by Karli Heinmiller. It shows one Goon grappling with a victim in a parking lot, then cuts to two teens punching and kicking someone.
Fallout: None
Unknown date: Goons night fight in field
Attackers: 1
Arrests: 0
Details: Two girls, surrounded by teens with cellphones, exchange words. Then one of the girls punches the other in the face as onlookers rush in with cameras.
Fallout: None
Reassigned: Chandler principal named in 'Goon'-related lawsuits is moved to special ed department
Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at elena.santacruz@gannett.com. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Gilbert Goons' beatings: Dozens of assaults shown on video
