Latest news with #Goons
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
'Gilbert Goons' documentary by Arizona Republic named finalist for video storytelling
The Arizona Republic and coverage of the 'Gilbert Goons' has earned national recognition from two prestigious journalism organizations. The 'Goons' documentary has been named a finalist in the local video storytelling category in the Scripps Howard Journalism Awards. The documentary was compiled by videographer Michael Chow and reporters Robert Anglen and Elena Santa Cruz. The fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord in the Phoenix suburbs drew widespread attention, and The Republic's reporters were the first to tie his beating to the "Goons," a gang of suburban teenagers whose attacks on other teens had gone unchecked by police for more than a year. The Scripps Howard competition focuses on high impact reporting, recognizing 'journalism that spurs action, news organizations that go the extra mile to expose previously undisclosed or misunderstood information and journalists who embrace new tools, channels, technologies and approaches to provide more immersive experiences for their audiences,' according to its website. Scripps Howard names three finalists in each category in its competition, with the category winner to be announced online at on June 10. In addition to "Preston Lord's Death Uncovers 'Gilbert Goons,'" other finalists in the local video storytelling category are ABC 15 Arizona for "Policing Phoenix: The DOJ Report" and Frontline (PBS) for "Maui's Deadly Firestorm." Anglen, Santa Cruz and Chow also were named finalists in the 2025 Investigative Reporters and Editors contest for their 'Goons' reporting and documentary. Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. The judges said: 'In an exhaustive, winding investigation reported over months, The Arizona Republic tied the deadly beating of a 16-year-old to a string of assaults by a gang of elite teenagers. The reporting showed significant cover-up attempts, community outrage and inaction by local police who appeared to look the other way as teen assaults mounted up, months before one turned deadly. ' won the category with a story on Alabama's parole system, and a team from the Miami Herald was the other finalist, with coverage of a botched investigation into a deadly boating crash. Guilty plea: Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in Preston Lord death This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Gilbert Goons' documentary named finalist for video storytelling
Deccan Herald
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Rana Sanga row: Karni Sena hurls tires at SP leader's convoy in UP; none hurt
Brilliant display of "Hindu Unity" Dalit MP Ramji Lal Suman's convoy attacked by Karni Sena Goons. If a Rajya Sabha MP is not safe from caste based violence in broad daylight, then you can imagine the plight of Dalits in remote areas.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bill to make ‘Gilbert Goons' style attacks felonies moves forward in Arizona Senate
Photo via Getty Images In response to the brutal beating death of Preston Lord at the hands of a teen gang called the 'Gilbert Goons,' Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell wants to make group assaults on a single person felonies instead of misdemeanors. Seven people — three minors and four adults — have been charged with killing Lord, who was only 16, in a Oct. 28, 2023, attack at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Melissa Ciconte, Lord's stepmother, told the Arizona Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee that perpetrators of group beatings like these should face harsher penalties. 'This calculated act was done without remorse,' Ciconte said during Wednesday's hearing. 'He was beaten, kicked, and stomped on — not just to inflict harm, but as entertainment for those who participated. One of them even danced on top of his body after he was deceased. They took his life without a second thought, showing a complete disregard for human decency. 'This is not just a tragedy. It is an outrage, and it cannot continue. Preston's memory has been a rallying cry, not just for justice, but for prevention.' An investigation by the Arizona Republic first publicly connected Lord's slaying with a series of beatings by a group of mostly affluent teenagers in the East Valley. Lord's parents have criticized the Gilbert Police Department for having knowledge of the brutal attacks and doing nothing to stop them before they escalated and became deadly. Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg claimed that many of the other attacks were not reported to police, and that investigators were not aware that the attacks were connected until after Lord was killed. During the year leading up to Lord's death, groups of teens who were part of the Goons would gang up on a single person and hit, kick and punch them while sometimes recording and bragging about the crimes on social media. Many of the attacks happened at the same locations, including the parking lots of fast food restaurants. Richard Kuehner, whose teen son was beaten in August 2023 at an In-n-Out in Gilbert, the location of several Goons attacks, told the committee that his son's attackers deserved to be charged with more than a misdemeanor for their actions. The attack left Kuehner's son with a concussion and so scared that he moved out of the country to live with his mother. He described the punishment his son's attackers received as a 'slap on the wrist,' adding that he doesn't believe it deters young people from taking part in violent crimes. 'The mental and emotional trauma my son endured has been far more profound (than physical injuries),' Kuehner said. 'Even after the attack, he continued to be threatened by the same kids and was too afraid to leave the house for fear of being ambushed again.' Kuehner said he reported the attack to his son's school and the Gilbert police, but there was scant response from either. Last year Kuehner filed a civil lawsuit against numerous young people and parents he claims are associated with the Gilbert Goons, as well as the Chandler Unified School District and Gilbert Police Department for not doing enough to stop the attacks. The proposal that Mitchell is backing, House Bill 2611, would make the assault of a single person by a group of three or more people — currently a misdemeanor — into a felony. The bill, sponsored by Phoenix Republican Matt Gress, would make more serious punishments available, and if the perpetrators are adults, possibly saddle them permanently with the label of felon. Vicki Lopez, a criminal attorney representing Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, asked that legislators amend Gress's bill to ensure that it doesn't unintentionally result in felony charges for children who engage in minor schoolyard altercations. Lopez explained that, because the definition of assault includes touching someone with the intent to 'insult, injure or provoke,' children as young as 12 who, for example, hold another child's arms while a third child pokes or slaps them could be charged with a felony under Gress's proposal. Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, agreed with Lopez that HB2611 might need amending to ensure it doesn't have unintended consequences, and suggested adding a caveat that the group assault must cause serious injury to be upgraded to a felony. Mitchell responded that assault causing serious physical injury is already considered a felony offense. But many of the Goons attacks leading up to Lord's death did not meet the legal definition of serious injury, she said, the reason the change was proposed. According to Arizona law, a serious physical injury 'causes reasonable risk of death, serious and permanent disfigurement, serious impairment of health or loss or protracted impairment of the function of an organ or limb.' 'What we're seeing in this trend is individuals who are engaging in using their fists, beating down a kid, and unless there is a broken bone or a serious physical injury, then it is treated as a misdemeanor,' Mitchell said. 'So, it is not really reflective of the seriousness of three individuals ganging up on one individual to commit an assault.' The committee voted 4-3, along party lines, to forward the bill to the full Senate for a vote. Democratic Sen. Analise Ortiz, of Phoenix, said that her 'heart goes out to the family and the whole community of Gilbert that was um impacted by this horrible and unnecessary death.' But Ortiz said she voted against the bill because she viewed it as overly broad. And that, she said, could lead to serious consequences for young people who make a 'dumb mistake on the schoolyard' that don't cause serious injury but land them in the juvenile detention system anyway. Ortiz added that this could forever change 'the trajectory of their lives, without any assurance that this would deter any types of assaults of this nature in the future.' In the House, Gress's bill received bipartisan support, passing by a vote of 37-21 on March 3. The majority of Republicans favored the proposal, along with 10 Democratic legislators. Five Republicans joined the rest of the Democrats in opposition. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brass knuckles ban introduced again in Arizona. What has changed from 2024
A bill that aims to ban brass knuckles for minors was introduced in the Legislature after a similar proposal failed to pass last year. Senate Bill 1290, sponsored by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would make it a Class 3 misdemeanor if a minor "intentionally or knowingly" purchases or possesses the weapon. Brass knuckles are metal fittings that go around the fingers and amplify the force of a punch. In 2024, Kavanagh sponsored a bill that would have banned the weapon in Arizona. He said at the time that he was pushing for the legislation after hearing about group attacks in the East Valley where brass knuckles were used. A December 2023 investigation by The Arizona Republic found the "Gilbert Goons" had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the East Valley, unchecked by authorities, for more than a year. Brass knuckles were used in some attacks, according to interviews and police records. The investigation first tied the Goons to the fatal beating of Preston Lord, 16, at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Connor Jarnagan was one of the people who was attacked with the weapon in a December 2022 Goons attack in Gilbert and helped push for Kavanagh's bill. But there was opposition from some legislators concerned about restricting methods of self-defense, Kavanagh said. Arizona is one of 12 states where brass knuckles are legal. In 17 more states, the weapon is legal with a permit. Some Arizona cities prohibit the possession of brass knuckles. Phoenix's city code makes it illegal to carry brass or any other metal "knuckles." After the Goons fallout, elected officials in East Valley communities voted on brass knuckles bans. Chandler and Gilbert banned the weapon for minors and Tempe prohibited possession of them for minors and adults. Kavanagh's bill was not the only legislative proposal introduced this year as a response to teen violence in the East Valley. "Preston's Law" was introduced by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, to criminalize group attacks. House Bill 2611 would characterize an assault as an aggravated assault if the assailant was "aided by two or more accomplices" who were present for the attack. The bill has passed the House. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell was a proponent of Preston's Law, which would allow prosecutors to charge attackers in group assaults in a way that would prevent their charges from being classified as misdemeanors. Many of the people charged in Goons beatings faced Class 6 felonies, which is the least serious type in Arizona and can be turned into a misdemeanor. The crime created by Preston's Law would be a Class 4 felony, which cannot be converted into a misdemeanor. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brass knuckles ban introduced again. What has changed from last year?
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Gilbert police make arrests in 'group teen violence' incident
Gilbert police arrested four people in connection with an assault on a 15-year-old boy at a neighborhood park. On Jan. 19, police received reports about 10:30 p.m. that a group of teenagers was fighting near Higley and Williams Field roads. Police said they found no victims when they arrived at the location, and no injuries were reported to the department. On Jan. 24, days after police took to Facebook to ask the community for tips, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of aggravated assault. Less than a week later, police said they arrested two more juveniles on suspicion of aggravated assault and Jaeden Smith, 18, on suspicion of aggravated assault and kidnapping. The 15-year-old boy told police he was hesitant to give information to police about the assault because he feared retaliation, according to court documents. The attack left him with cuts on both of his arms. The assault took place after the 15-year-old tried to stop Smith and others from surrounding and yelling at the driver sitting in a parked truck, according to court documents. The boy asked the group to calm down and leave as he tried getting in between them and the driver. Someone then pushed the 15-year-old and acted like they were going to fight him, but Smith started throwing the punches instead, according to court documents. Smith hit the 15-year-old multiple times in the face, tackled him to the ground and got on top of him to prevent him from getting up, court documents said. When the boy tried to stand up and leave, Smith repeatedly pushed him back down and beat him, the court documents said. After the boy was able to get up, court documents said, Smith hit him again. In an interview with police, Smith said he did not know the boy. He said he went to the park because he was told there was going to be a fight, according to court documents. He said when the truck arrived, he joined in and started yelling at the driver. Smith said he started fighting because he thought the boy hit one of his friends and since "that's what they wanted to happen," according to court documents. How the four juveniles arrested in connection with the attack were involved was not detailed in the court documents about Smith. A Gilbert police spokesperson said the department considered the incident to be "group teen violence." An Arizona Republic investigation published in December found that after The Republic in late 2023 first connected the death of Preston Lord, 16, to the "Gilbert Goons," a group of teens whose attacks in Gilbert went unchecked for more than a year, Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg misled the public about the department's handling of the Goons and other teen violence cases. 'Brushed under the rug': Gilbert police still face scrutiny over teen attacks This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert police make arrests in 'group teen violence' incident
