Gilbert Goons: Town leaders to propose subcommittee on teen violence

GILBERT, Ariz. - Three Gilbert Town Council members are addressing teen violence, as police in the East Valley town continue to investigate the so-called ‘Gilbert Goons.’

During a scheduled Gilbert Town Council meeting on Jan. 9, councilmembers Jim Torgeson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Scott Anderson will ask other councilmembers to vote on forming a subcommittee focused on teen violence.

We reached out to the three councilmembers proposing the subcommittee. All three declined on-camera interviews, but told us the purpose of the discussion is for transparency, weeding out misinformation, and figuring out the scope of teen violence in the area.

While on-camera interview requests were denied by all three, we did manage to speak with Torgeson briefly over the phone.

"The fact of the matter is a lot of the public is extremely concerned, and it needs to be addressed," said Torgeson. "We've promised to be transparent and accountable, and so that’s exactly what we’re doing."

Gilbert’s mayor, Brigette Peterson, turned down our request for an interview. However, Peterson made a statement on the proposal that reads, in part:

"I, like the public, appreciate the transparency in which council subcommittees operate, the goal-oriented nature of their existence, and their ultimate objective of bringing forth a recommendation to the public body for action."

East Valley town rocked by ‘Gilbert Goons’ group

This latest development comes as Gilbert Police reopens cases of assaults and other crimes involving teens in the town over the past two years. For months, residents have expressed deep concern over violent teen attacks, voicing complaints at town council meetings and on social media.

As of Jan. 5, Gilbert Police investigators are still searching for suspects connected to an aggravated robbery in August 2023 at a fast food store near Williams Field Road and Market Street. On Dec. 22, 2023, Gilbert Police officials released a number of photos that they say are connected with the aggravated robbery incident.

The photos were of a low resolution, but some of them show a group of people involved in what appears to be a fight. In one photo, a person's face can clearly be seen.

While police did not appear to officially link the August 18 incident to the so-called "Gilbert Goons" group in their Dec. 22 statement, officials did say on their teen violence investigations page that they are "actively reviewing our assault cases involving youth to see if there is any additional information or correlation between these incidents that can assist us with our past investigations."

"I can tell you that there’s been a ton of tips and evidence presented, and we should hear something soon," said Richard Kuehner.

Kuehner is the father of the young victim in that incident. The victim is reportedly living overseas, and traumatized.

"I raised him his whole life, so the fact that this even happened and he had to leave for his safety is unacceptable," said Kuehner. "It’s great that they wanted to do this, but in my opinion, just a little too late."

"Any movement in a forward direction to make sure we’re looking at the data and responding and have directive outcomes is great," said Katey McPherson.

McPherson is a mother and advocate for victims in a series of violent incidents involving teenagers across the East Valley.

"I think nationally, we’re seeing this kind of blitz curb stomping, and it hasn’t been here yet," said McPherson. 'Now it’s here, and it has been here for at least two to three years, we’re finding."

Gilbert is located near Queen Creek, a far East Valley city that is the scene of an incident in 2023 that led to the death of Preston Lord. Gilbert's police chief, Michael Soelberg, has said the department "collaborating with local law enforcement partners to ensure any information that may be relevant in our investigations is shared and we are supportive of Queen Creek’s ongoing investigation to seek justice for Preston Lord."

As for the Preston Lord case, Queen Creek Police Department officials have submitted charges related to the murder investigation to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review. Charges were submitted for seven people, but the seven have yet to be identified.