31-01-2025
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
