GILBERT, AZ — An East Valley teen violence suspect has been sentenced to probation and deferred jail time in connection to an attack in Gilbert in 2022.
Jacob Pennington, 20, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and deferred jail time with imposed "gang terms" in a court Thursday in connection to an assault that took place in December 2022 at a Gilbert In-N-Out restaurant, which has been the location of multiple teen violence cases.
The judge said video from the attack, which was shown in court Thursday, showed he acted as an “aggressor” and did not appear to be acting in self-defense.
Court records say brass knuckles were used during the assault and there were multiple victims. Those documents also say only one victim wanted to move forward and try to prosecute (at least one citing fear).
The victim in this case was not seriously injured, the judge noted.
The judge did not find evidence of gang activity in this incident.
Video and photographic evidence against Pennington “paints a picture of a pattern of behavior that one could say is…aggressive…it’s headed in the wrong direction," the judge noted.
Earlier this week, Pennington was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 120 days of deferred jail time along with “gang terms” for his role in a Pinal County assault in November 2023. Pennington was one of two people arrested after that incident.
See ABC15's reporting on Pennington's first sentencing in the video player below:
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old man was sentenced to supervised probation for his role in an attack at the Gilbert In-N-Out in August 2023.
Last month, two more teen suspects agreed to plea deals in assault cases.
ABC15 is taking action to get the answers needed as teen violence incidents occur in the East Valley. Follow our latest coverage here.
