Teen violence: Court documents reveal new details surrounding Gilbert parking lot assault
GILBERT, Ariz. - Authorities have released court documents related to a teen violence incident in 2023 that left a person injured.
On Jan. 19, court documents for Christopher Elijah Makhi Fantastic were released. Fantastic, 18, is accused of Aggravated Robbery and Assault in connection with the incident. News of Fantastic's indictment was announced on Jan. 19. Fantastic has also been arrested in connection with a separate violent incident in Mesa.
Suspect accused of kicking victim repeatedly
In the court documents, Glendale Police officials state their officers were called to a home by the victim's father on the night of Aug. 18. The caller reportedly told police that the victim, who was 16 at the time, was "beaten up at the In-N-Out restaurant located at 2449 S. Market Street Gilbert, AZ and was reportedly bleeding from the mouth."
"The victim apparently previously reported threats involving [name redacted] to the School Resource Officer (SRP) at their high school, and multiple subjects were mad at the victim for doing this," investigators wrote.
The victim, according to investigators, was later evaluated by fire crews, and was determined to have sustained multiple injuries to his mouth, with a visibly swollen jaw.
"The victim later sought follow up evaluation at a hospital, and it was determined he did not sustain any serious physical injuries," wrote a portion of the court documents.
Investigators note that after Gilbert Police posted photos associated with the incident onto social media, multiple tips were received in the following weeks, which helped police identify one of the suspects as Fantastic.
Fantastic, investigators allege, "punched the victim multiple times while the victim was on the ground in the parking lot and appeared to be shielding himself from the attack with his arms," based on a video police received. Fantastic also allegedly "kicked and stomped on the victim multiple times while the victim was still on the ground."
"As this occurred, multiple other subjects in the video also punched and kicked the victim," read a portion of the court documents.
Victim sent overseas, father said
Prior to Fantastic's arrest, we have interviewed the father and mother of the victim in the incident.
The victim's father, Richard Kuehner, said at the time of his interview that several events led up to the moment his son was attacked in the beginning of the school year. It first started out with his son receiving threatening messages on Snapchat from someone he didn't know.
"They were pretty violent. Some had pictures of a gun pointed at him and, you know, threatening manners and stuff like that."
Kuehner says he notified his son's school immediately and then the Chandler Unified School District.
"A week after that, the same kids that were threatened and they showed up to my house. They knew where I worked. They knew what car I drove. They knew where I lived. So they showed up at my house threatening me and my son."
On Aug. 18, Kuehner says his son drove to the In-N-Out, where the attack happened.
Kuehner said his son suffered internal kidney damage as a result of the incident, and that he has spent $15,000 in medical costs for his son, thus far. Kuehner also said that after the attack, he sent his son overseas for safety.
"I moved to Gilbert because it was ranked the safest city in Arizona and the second safest city in the United States. And they had the best school. So you know, that was the reason I came here. So for this all being uncovered is very disheartening. And I'm just amazed that nothing's happened sooner," said Kuehner.
The victim's mother, meanwhile, said she is keeping a close eye on her son, knowing he faces psychological and emotional trauma\.
"It was just so overwhelming," said the mother. "It was like a tsunami wave that truly just rocked our world, and we're still trying to, like, come out of it."
Fantastic had previous arrest records; other arrests made
Aris Arredondo and Christopher Fantastic
According to court documents, Fantastic has had prior records of arrest, including:
- False reporting to law enforcement
- 1st degree criminal trespassing
- Failure to disclose weapon to peace officer
- Concealed weapon on a person under 21 years of age
The same court document also states that Fantastic was convicted for the last offense listed above.
Fantastic was not the only person who was arrested in connection with the incident. Gilbert Police officials said they have arrested three others for their alleged role in the same incident.
Of the three other people arrested, two of them are 16-year-olds. The third person was identified as Aris Arredondo, 18.