GILBERT, AZ — On Thursday, Gilbert Police announced the arrest of 20-year-old Jacob Pennington in connection to an assault from September of 2023. This attack again took place at the Gilbert In-N-Out, which has been the location of multiple teen violence cases.
Pennington, this time, was arrested for aggravated robbery. Court documents allege he took one of the victim's shoes during the assault.
During his initial appearance, the judge shared her thoughts on the situation in the East Valley.
"The fear in the East Valley, with what’s going on with youth violence," said the Judge. "I was in juvenile court for 20 years, presided over it, I’ve never seen anything like it."
Pennington has now been arrested in connection to three different teen violence cases. Gilbert police also arrested a 17-year-old girl and recommended multiple charges including assault. Court documents allege she was the attacker in this case, describing a violent assault that police were unaware of until a video was found by Mesa Police.
"In this case specifically, as you mentioned; that was part of their fear, the victim’s fear, they were scared of retaliation," said Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg Thursday at his weekly press conference.
Court documents say when police spoke to the female victim's family, they told police around the time of the attack dozens of people in ski masks showed up at their house. Their arrival, they said, forced the victim's dad to confront them. The group, according to those documents, eventually did leave.
See the latest ABC15 coverage on the developments of the string of teen violence incidents here.
"That incident, where several individuals came to the house, that was not reported as well," said Chief Soelberg. "So again, we encourage the community to not be afraid. We will walk you through that process, and there are ways to protect our victims."
In addition to Pennington, there are also other suspects who have been arrested for multiple cases, including 18-year-old Kyler Renner and 19-year-old Gage Garrison.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Thursday announced that Renner had been indicted on six different drug-related charges. Court documents allege he had numerous drugs, including fentanyl, for sale.
Garrison and another teen 18-year-old Cody Kostoryz have also been indicted for their alleged role in an assault at a home near Higley and Elliot in December of 2022.
Court documents from that case also described the attackers showing up in ski masks.
With numerous suspects arrested for multiple cases, ABC15 asked Chief Soelberg about their investigation into the Gilbert Goons and if the group could be classified as a criminal street gang in Arizona. Currently, he said, there's no big update.
"That is ongoing," said Chief Soelberg. "I don’t have an update as far as when that will be completed. But we are making a lot of progress on that."
This week ABC15 has reported some members of the East Valley community are pushing for the resignation of not only Mayor Brigette Peterson but also Chief Soelberg.
"I understand the frustration of the community," said Chief Soelberg. "But I can reassure you that as Chief, as a parent, we want justice for all of our victims in the East Valley."
The Gilbert Police Chief also said their department had eight investigations into other related to teen violence incidents. He said these ranged from November 2023 to February 2024, but only two are still active. Two were cleared by arrests, and three were cleared because the victims didn't want to pursue charges. One case, Chief Soelberg said, was unfounded.
"We know the community wants justice as well, but we can't have vigilante justice," said Chief Soelberg.
The town’s next teen violence subcommittee is set for next Monday.
Have a news tip related to teen violence in the Valley? Email us at teenviolence@abc15.com
