Teen violence: MCAO indicts suspect in Gilbert assault incident
PHOENIX - Officials with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced an indictment in connection with a teen violence incident in the East Valley in 2023.
According to a brief statement, 18-year-old Christopher Fantastic has been indicted on a count of aggravated robbery and a count of aggravated assault. Both counts are felonies.
Christopher Fantastic (Courtesy: Gilbert Police)
"The indictment stems from an incident in Gilbert on August 18, 2023, at a fast-food restaurant in which the defendant is accused of punching a victim while the victim was on the ground," read a portion of the brief statement.
Fantastic has also been arrested in connection with a separate violent incident in Mesa.
East Valley rocked by teen violence fallout
For months, various communities in Arizona have been dealing with violent incidents involving teens, with at least one incident in the Far East Valley turning deadly.
The incident Fantastic has been indicted on, as listed above, happened on Aug. 18, 2023.
On Dec. 22, 2023, Gilbert Police released photos that they say are connected with the incident, which happened in the area of Williams Field Road and Market Street.
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 be seen.
We have spoken with the father and mother of the teen who was injured in the incident. The teen's father, Richard Kuehner, said several incidents led up to what happened on Aug. 18. The attack reportedly left the teen with internal kidney damage. The teen's Nike shoes were also stolen.
"This has been an hour that night that happened with the police officer going through my son's phone. And we went through every message they have just to see if, you know, maybe my son instigated something or not. We couldn't find any connection or anything. He doesn't even know these kids," said Kuehner, who also revealed that he withdrew his son from school, and sent him overseas to live with his mother.
"It was just so overwhelming," said the teen's mother. "It was like a tsunami wave that truly just rocked our world, and we're still trying to, like, come out of it."
In addition to Fantastic, three other people were arrested in connection with the incident. Police identified one of the three people as 18-year-old Aris Arredondo. The other two are juveniles.