Cops failed to act on 'major red flags' before teen gang killed 16-year-old: report

Arizona police knew a gang of local teenagers had assaulted more than 30 people before some of them were accused of beating to death 16-year-old Preston Lord last year at a Halloween party.

A report released by Gilbert police showed detectives had obtained social media posts in January 2023 showing the teenagers, who called themselves the "Gilbert Goons," bragging about attacks — which contradicts claims made by police chief Michael Soelberg, reported KPNX-TV.

“It clearly shows there were major red flags with this group of teenage thugs who went on to continue to terrorize teens in the East Valley, even after we were able to prosecute one of them," said Stephanie Jarnagan, whose 16-year-old son was attacked by the teens.

In that Dec. 30, 2022, incident, a group of teenagers approached Connor Jarnagan, demanded money and struck him in the back of the head with a pair of brass knuckles, which required staples to heal.

One suspect, Tyler Freeman, was charged in that assault, and investigators were made aware shortly afterward of Snapchat group chats where teens openly boasted about committing assaults.

“U got extra knuckls? I’m tryin to send these kids to hospital," read one message, while another said: “As soon as they find out we r the ones who got into all the fights we’re gettin charged w 30+ assaults.”

One of the teens wondered why police hadn't classified them as "an official gang already," but that didn't happen until May of this year, when the Gilbert Goons were labeled as a hybrid street gang.

"The Snapchat thread in question involves numerous conversations and individuals," said police spokeswoman Brenda Carrasco. "The teens responsible for making these specific statements were thoroughly investigated by the Gilbert Police Department. At the time this information was received in 2023, Gilbert PD had six total reported cases of group teen violence in our community with eight arrests having been made in those cases."

She said no additional evidence of gang activity existed outside those social media posts at that time.

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"A singular vague reference is not sufficient evidence to establish a criminal street," Carrasco said.

Gilbert police re-examined previous teen violence cases after Lord's fatal beating outside a party in Queen Creek and made numerous arrests, including seven juveniles and adults who have been charged with first-degree murder in the teen's death.

“We saw some teen violence cases prior to Preston Lord's death," Soelberg said in March. "They were sporadic as far as location and time after Preston Lord was killed, that's when we had a huge influx of information."

Carrasco said police investigated every case that was reported to them.