Pinal County Sheriff's Office makes 2nd arrest in November 'Goons' attack on teen
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office announced it has arrested a second adult in connection with a November group attack on a teen.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a video posted to social media that deputies arrested 18-year-old Garrett Bagshaw in Mesa in connection with the Nov. 18 beating of a 16-year-old Casteel High School student near San Tan Mountain Regional Park in an area known as Wagon Wheel.
The Republic published a video of the attack in December, which occurred two weeks after Preston Lord, 16, was fatally beaten at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. The attack video was recorded on a cellphone, and footage was shared privately among a small group of high school students.
The video, just over a minute long, shows a group forming a loose circle around the victim, with at least one using a cellphone to illuminate the tableau. The attackers hit the boy and knocked him down as he attempted to retreat. When the victim ran, his attackers gave chase and pummeled him with feet and fists as he fell to the ground.
The Wagon Wheel attack was among a string of video-recorded beatings in southeast Valley communities by members of a gang called the "Gilbert Goons."
Brass knuckles, beatings, fear: Random attacks on teens loom over Preston Lord murder case
An investigation by The Arizona Republic in December found the Goons, a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of blitz-style 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 the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.
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."
Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the fatal beating of Lord on Oct. 28.
More arrests: Police, Sheriff's Office make 5 arrests in 'Gilbert Goons' teen attacks
On Wednesday, deputies arrested Jacob Pennington, 20, in connection with the Nov. 18 attack. In a post-arrest interview, Pennigton admitted being part of the "Gilbert Goons," according to court records. The records state he said the term "originated from a SnapChat group chat."
Pennington told police he was defending a female friend who he said was hit by the victim in the beating, court records show.
Lamb said the boy who was attacked sustained minor injuries and declined medical assistance. He said the boy could not immediately identify his attackers to deputies, who responded to reports of an altercation.
The Sheriff's Office said the detective assigned to this case was part of an "information sharing group" on the attacks led by the Gilbert Police Department, and they are cooperating in overlapping investigations.
Bagshaw was expected to be booked into the Pinal County Detention Center, Lamb said. The Sheriff's Office would continue investigating the case and that others involved in the attack should identify themselves, Lamb said.
"If you had involvement in this case, my advice to you is to turn yourself in now because we will find you," Lamb said.
More about the investigations: New 'Gilbert Goons' beating video, chilling account of Preston Lord's attack emerge
Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at elena.santacruz@gannett.com or 480-466-2265. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sheriff makes 2nd arrest in November 'Goons' attack in Pinal County
