The Gilbert Police Department has officially tagged the "Gilbert Goons" as a criminal street gang, following a series of teen violence incidents in the East Valley, according to a FOX 10 Phoenix report. This label comes as police wrapped up an investigation into the October death of a 16-year-old Preston Lord, where several East Valley teens, including alleged members of the “Gilbert Goons,” have been caught in the web of violence. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell previously indicated that enhanced charges could be on the table for those involved in gang-related activities, stating, "If they are doing this through an organized street gang type of situation, we will look at the enhancement of gang charges or whether it was a furtherance of a street gang. We're not at that point yet to say that we've made a decision on that. Nothing is off the table,"
Although the group has met the criteria for gang classification, authorities have yet to find enough evidence to hit any of its members with enhanced gang charges, police said. The lack of a rigid structure and the diverse composition of the group made up of varied ages and ethnicities, has made it difficult for law enforcement to pin down traditional gang characteristics. Gilbert Police have identified the "Gilbert Goons" as a "hybrid gang," a concept which differs from traditional gangs by frequently changing names and lacking specific colors, symbols, or territories, the department explained in a press conference.
"Hybrid gangs are very hard to document as a street gang. As you know, your traditional gang usually has one race or one ethnicity and they have a territory that they claim. Hybrid gangs are usually mixed gender, mixed races and all various ages. Also, your traditional gang has a code of conduct typically. Hybrid gangs are mostly juvenile gangs and they have no code of conduct or no hierarchy. The members also claim and participate in multiple gangs and your hybrid gangs. This is done just for law enforcement in a documentation process. Where traditional gangs, they stick to their territory or their bios or whatever they have and they are proud of their gang. The hybrid gangs also work with other criminal gangs that you may not see. You may see a car full of different gang members together in a hybrid gang where, traditionally, you wouldn't see that. There are no specific colors, symbols, hand signs, territories or anything, such as that. In a hybrid gang where traditional gangs usually have a standard color, a gang sign or something to that, the hybrid gang is always evolving and the names are changing," the FOX 10 Phoenix report noted.
Chief Michael Soelberg from the Gilbert Police Department emphasized the varied and modern nature of these hybrid gangs during a news conference. Explaining their affiliation with other gangs and lack of a single geographical stronghold. The group's members are known to local law enforcement, and their actions are under close surveillance. They are primarily suspected of underage drinking, illegal drug use, and being linked to fight club type of agreement, per information provided by authorities.
The tragic case surrounding the death of Preston Lord has become a focal point in the Valley's battle against teen violence. As of last month, 26 arrests have been made across multiple cities, including Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek, in connection to assaults involving teens. Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice relayed specifics from a 1,162-page police report that ties with the "Gilbert Goons" in the Preston Lord case, in which all seven suspects pleaded not guilty, according to a report by Arizona's Family. Amidst this ongoing legal battle, it is uncertain how the gang's classification will affect the sentencing phase for existing teen violence cases.
