GILBERT, AZ — The Gilbert Police Department is working with the Arizona Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) and four other local and county agencies to determine if the "Gilbert Goons" can be classified as a criminal street gang.
On Monday, the department posted an update on social media and their webpage focused on teen violence.
ABC15 is taking action to get the answers needed as teen violence incidents occur in the East Valley. Follow our latest coverage here.
ABC15 has reported extensively on the fear surrounding a group known as the "Gilbert Goons" and teen violence in the East Valley. Our investigative team found records detailing assaults involving teens that date back to December 2022 with one involving brass knuckles.
RELATED: Gilbert leaders to vote on subcommittee on teen violence
This update comes less than a month after Gilbert PD officials said they hadn't connected any criminal activity to the term "Gilbert Goons." In mid-December, the department stated it had just become aware of the term.
"... In recent information received from victims there are references to their assailants as being associated with 'Gilbert Goons,'" stated the department in its statement on January 8.
Initially, Gilbert Police Department officials said they had reopened four cases related to teen violence as they reviewed assaults from the past two years, but now officials say they have eight active investigations. Gilbert PD officials say four of those cases were previously unreported until the department was notified via online tips.
ABC15 is covering developments in the killing of Preston Lord and teen violence in the southeast Valley. Have a tip? Email us at investigators@abc15.com
