The Pinal County Sheriff's Office announced that a second adult has been arrested in connection with the gang assault of a teenage boy in November.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a video posted on social media. Law enforcement officials arrested Garrett Bagshaw, 18, of Mesa, in connection with the Nov. 18 beating of a 16-year-old Castile High School student in an area known as Wagon Wheel near Santan Mountain Regional Park. .
The Republic released video of the attack in December, which occurred two weeks after Preston Lord, 16, was fatally injured at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. The attack video was recorded on a cell phone and the footage was shared privately among a small group of high school students.
The video, which lasts just over a minute, shows the group forming a loose circle around the victim, with at least one person using a mobile phone to illuminate the painting. The attackers beat the boy as he tried to retreat, causing him to fall. When the victim started running, the attackers chased him and hit him with their feet and fists, causing him to fall to the ground.
The Wagon Wheel attack was one of a series of videotaped assaults by members of a gang known as the “Gilbert Goons” in communities in the southeast Valley.
Brass knuckles, beatings and fear:Random attack on teen closes in on Preston Road murders
research by arizona republic In December, the Goons, a gang of mostly wealthy teens, raped other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year, according to interviews, court and police records, and social media posts. It turned out that he had repeatedly carried out blitzkrieg attacks on young people.
Most attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say Goon members were involved in the Oct. 28 assault that killed 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.
Gilbert Police Chief Michael Solberg said officers could not link the attack to the attack because the victims did not specifically mention “Gilbert Goon,” adding that the department did not link Goon to “some kind of criminal activity.” He said he did not have a police report linking him to the alleged incident.
Parents, students and community activists allege Goon members were involved in Lord's fatal beating on October 28.
More arrests:Police and Sheriff's Office make five arrests in 'Gilbert Goons' teen attack
On Wednesday, officers arrested Jacob Pennington, 20, in connection with the Nov. 18 attack. According to court records, Pennigton admitted in an interview after his arrest that he was a member of the “Gilbert Goons.” He said the term “came out of a SnapChat group chat,” according to the transcript.
According to court records, Pennington told police he was defending a female friend who said the victim had punched her.
Mr Lam said the boy who was attacked suffered minor injuries but refused medical assistance. He told deputies who responded to a report of an altercation that the boy could not immediately identify his attacker.
The sheriff's office said the detective who worked on the case is part of a Gilbert Police Department-led “information sharing group” on the attack and is cooperating with overlapping investigations.
Bagshaw will be booked into the Pinal County Detention Center, Lamb said. Lamb said the sheriff's office will continue to investigate the incident and others involved in the attack must identify themselves.
“If you were involved in this incident, my advice is to turn yourself in now, because we will find you,” Lamb said.
Research details:New 'Gilbert Goons' assault video reveals chilling account of Preston Road attack
Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic.please contact her elena.santacruz@gannett.com or 480-466-2265. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
