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East Valley teen involved in multiple assaults sentenced to prison.
PHOENIX– East Valley 18-year-old involved in multiple assaults was sentenced to three years in prison and four years probation on Friday.
Tyler Freeman has been charged with violent assault in two attacks on teenagers in Gilbert and surrounding areas. The assaults began in late 2022, taking place at a house party and an In-N-Out parking lot.
Prosecuting attorney Andrew Fuss explained the danger Freeman still poses to the public and the necessity of holding citizens accountable.
“He is a complete danger to the community,” said Fuss. “And that is why the state is recommending an aggravated sentence. We feel it is extremely appropriate.”
Judge Bruce Cohen was presented with videos of the assaults, read disturbing text messages, and heard jailhouse audio of the defendant making violent threats. Judge Cohen also heard statements directly from Freeman and his mother.
Fuss presented witness-sourced videos of the assaults to demonstrate the extreme violence used by the defendant. The videos show Freeman threatening, instigating and provoking the victims. He admits to using brass knuckles during the fight at the Gilbert In-N-Out parking lot in December 2022.
According to Fuss, Freeman also used brass knuckles during the first assault he was involved with at the house party between Queen Creek and Gilbert. In both assaults, Freeman worked with a group to physically attack a single victim.
Fuss played six clips of jailhouse calls from when Freeman was in custody in February. In them, he threatens people with violence once he is released, insults Preston Lord, and makes jokes about being violent while in custody.
“It’s unfortunate, I wish he had changed,” Fuss said. “I wish he had felt remorse for all of his actions, but we got the jail calls for a lot of these events and it’s the same type of behavior. The defendant keeps making violent threats and keeps making comments that should never ever be made under any circumstances.”
Throughout the sentencing, both Fuss and Judge Cohen noted that everyone involved was “extremely lucky” that the victims' injuries were not more severe. The judge alluded to the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord, another teen violence case currently under investigation.
After Freeman’s statement, he spoke to Judge Cohen who asked about his involvement with the Gilbert Goons.
Freeman said that it was a “big friend group” and that the Gilbert Goons were multiple friend groups hanging out not the gang.
“The Gilbert community as a whole has come together and said they aren’t going to take this anymore,” said Judge Cohen referring to the collective terror the East Valley has experienced. “Part of that effort is also to hold people accountable and that’s why we are here today with you.”
During Freeman's statement, he apologized to everyone in the room for being there because of his actions and agreed with Fuss that the evidence didn’t show him as remorseful.
“Those videos when I watch them are embarrassing,” said Freeman. “That I did that to the victims, and if I could go back I would, to change it. I just want another chance to make up for what I have done. I want to show the remorse I have.
Ultimately Judge Cohen sentenced Freeman to two and a half years and three years for the two cases but they will run concurrently. He will also get credit for the 268 days he has already served in jail.
Increase in East Valley
teen-on-teen Violence
PHOENIX–An increase in teen violence has made some East Valley community members question if the random attacks stem from a lack of adult intervention and guidance.
The violent blitz-style attacks with brass knuckles and other weapons led to an escalation of fights and “swarming” attacks on other boys throughout the East Valley, eventually leading to the deadly beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord in October 2023.
In December 2022, several law enforcement agencies across the East Valley opened investigations into the attacks on teens by their peers. Since then, 41 individuals have been arrested and The Arizona Republic counted a total of 95 assaults through Snapchat and other social media video analysis in May.
Responding to underage drinking, disturbances, fights, and curfew violations is typical for police. According to Gilbert Police Department, over 80,000 individuals are under 18, making up a significant portion of the city’s population.
In 2022, police did not alert community members when Calls For Service (CFS) relating to teens at a local In-N-Out Burger sharply increased.
Katey McPherson, an East Valley mom and former middle and high school teacher and counselor, has been vocal about her concerns for her community; helping victims and their families bring attention to the attacks.
“I had no idea about this because parents weren’t talking about it,” McPherson said. “Cops weren’t talking about it. Schools weren’t talking about it.”
Police released the Gilbert In-N-Out Burger CFS summary detailing the statistics from 2020-2023. Before publishing the data in a January press conference, the police chief said they upped patrols in response to the attacks on teens. He explained there were only three reports where GPD arrived before suspects ran away, according to 12News.
The data shows calls related to teens increased by more than four-and-a-half times from 2020-2022.
Over three years, GPD doubled its proactive calls twice in response to a steep increase in teen-rated calls—the first time in 2021 from 14 to 30 as teen-related calls increased from seven to 12, then again in 2023, more than doubling proactive calls from 26 to 40.
This was in response to the second steep increase of calls relating to teens from 2021 with 12 calls to 31 in 2022.
Elena Santa Cruz, an investigative reporter for the Arizona Republic has been closely covering the developing cases of teen violence in the Valley since the first attack.
“Police are saying they knew about it,” said Cruz. “Whether they did something with that information I wouldn’t know.”
Cruz and investigative reporter Robert Anglen, have been leading voices in uncovering details in a shocking number of violent attacks. They have made breakthrough connections through social media and exclusive interviews.
Anglen said that Gilbert Police were more than aware of the teen violence since they were monitoring the social media of an arrested teen.
“In these social media accounts, kids bragged about beating 30 or more people,” said Anglen. “They also bragged that the police wouldn’t catch them and that the Gilbert Police particularly wouldn’t do anything to them. They mocked the police and even joked about whether they should be named a gang.”
On the surface, the extreme behavior and escalation of the assailants reveal a more deeply concerning picture, where young men terrorized their communities repeatedly by assaulting their peers, simply because they could and found it “entertaining.”
People directly involved in the teen violence cases have said not all group members participated in the beatings, but were seemingly brought together by a desire for connection. Thriving on intimidation they were held together by fear, an obsession with substances, and a thrilling lack of repercussions.
McPherson said, “All behavior is communication.” She noticed indications that kids needed support post-COVID-19 for the past few years, referring to an increase in teenage suicide, and an increase in on-campus fights and behavioral problems.
“I think a lot of the behavior was depression, and just mental health issues in general fueled by fentanyl and cocaine,” said McPherson. “Lots of people don’t recognize that depression in young and adult men doesn’t come out as weepy. It comes out as anger and rage.”
According to a 2022 report by Teen Mental Health Committee created by the Arizona House of Representatives, “Youth suicide is the leading cause of death for ages 10 to 14 and 15-24.”
The Committee submitted a report to the House of Representatives which was approved on Dec. 8, 2022. The mitigation and support recommendations are organized under three categories:
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Access to Care, Depression, and Mental Illness,
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Bullying and Social Media
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Family Support and Substance Abuse
This report suggests increasing funding for schools to provide more certified counselors and creating more facilities for youth rehabilitation and support programs.
To help mitigate the increase in bullying on and offline, schools implemented an anonymous 24/7 help platform designed for mental health aid, and reporting concerns to faculty.
Chandler Unified School District partnered with The Hope Institute, creating the first school-based suicide treatment center of its kind. Services are open to any K-12 East Valley student, within 48 hours up to 3-4 times a week.
According to the 2024 Arizona Youth Survey State Report, “Around 31% of surveyed youth reported seeing someone punched, kicked, choked, or beaten up in the past 12 months. While 14% reported being the victim of these behaviors.”
They acknowledged that parents are an important component and suggested providing an information hub focused on “prevention, education, crisis management, and treatment/post-treatment support.” The committee hopes to encourage confident parental involvement.
Youth continuously reported concerns about growing teen violence, but once they came forward the lack of action from adults invalidated many of their fears, concerns, and judgment calls leaving them without support.
Only after a child died did community members regularly attended city council meetings explaining that trusted adults are responsible for taking youths' concerns seriously.
An early victim of the attacks at In-N-Out, Connor Jarnagan, said his case had no momentum before he reached out to the network of teens across the Valley. They met at parties and stayed connected through social media.
“We were a little disappointed in the police response,” Jarnagan said. “Really, the only way my case got solved was by me sending a screenshot of the dude admitting it. I had people from all over the valley helping me, sending me videos of people getting jumped.”
Since police didn’t have access to private conversations through social media such as Snapchat, Departments were reliant on individuals to make reports. This caused the investigations to take longer, frustrating victims and community members.
While working with Jarnaganon his case, GPD told him that there had been five brass knuckle attacks at the In-N-Out parking lot alone. He feels that police and schools have contributed to the continued lack of successful mitigation.
Jarnigan said he’d like to see weekly or monthly check-ins with students and schools taking a bigger part in caring for them.
“There are kids that are failing all their classes and sometimes you can just tell that something’s wrong.” He continues to say that parents should be involved and held accountable for their children’s actions.
The issue is students don’t go to adults because violent behaviors are excused and their concerns are dismissed. This year nearly 20% of students reported not feeling safe at school, according to the Arizona Youth Survey.
This concern prevented many students from coming forward earlier with video evidence critical to identifying assailants.
A 17-year-old Perry High School student and friend of a victim said, “Oh, 100% no. I don’t think anything would be taken seriously by them,” referring to the trusted adults on campus and in the community. “That’s kind of what was known throughout our school. Like if you brought a situation to the principal or the police the majority of stuff would not get taken seriously.” This source has requested to be anonymous for the safety and privacy of their family.
A lack of trust is deeply rooted in youth's relationships with each other. According to some high schoolers, keeping to themselves is the best way to avoid getting hurt.
“People have this ego, where if they snitch, nobody’s going to think well of them. That’s all it is in high school, you just don’t want to get hurt because it goes around quickly.” The former Perry High School student said. “If you mess up once people are never going to trust you or look at you the same. It’s honestly sad because that’s what so many people around me have dealt with. It’s so hard to want to do the right thing but then also ruin your figure.”
Gilbert PD has created a Youth Engagement Officer, intended to support youth in the community but is still in early stages of development.
“Officer Emily King is currently researching best practices and will work with stakeholders to build future programming that meets our community's needs” said a spokes person for GPD in an email.
Meanwhile, police have asked parents to pay attention to their children’s conversations and report any potential concerns to local law enforcement.
Every Vote Counts: The Impact of the Hispanic Population's Vote
PHOENIX– The Hispanic community’s vote will play a decisive role in election results this year. With close margins every vote counts particularly in passing Proposition 139, a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights.
This year 30.7% of registered voters identify as Hispanic or Latino making this demographic a particularly crucial community for candidates. Their votes will influence the election results of the highly anticipated ballot.
Political analysis shows Hispanic communities are more socially conservative as Democrats and Republicans compete for their vote. Reports show that views on abortion access are divided by party affiliation and influenced by cultural and religious values. About 70% of Latinx registered voters identify as Catholic or Protestant.
Phoenix native Tony Moya, 60, said that his experience growing up in a six-person home to a Mexican mother and a Texan father shaped his vote.
“We grew up Catholic and went to the Catholic Church all my life,” said Moya. “All my life we were taught to help others. I think it’s through my mother’s teaching, that I came away with the belief that people should make their moral decisions on their own. I believe personal decisions supersede what they are taught by their religion.
Conservative consultants say that Hisapics’ and Lations’ values on social issues like abortion rights, are aligned with Republican agendas. Nationally about 60% of Hispanic Republicans say abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.
Julio Garcia, 44, has lived in Arizona for two years and is not a registered voter due to his citizen status. He said Mexico is a more culturally conservative country and that impacts voters’ decisions on topics like Proposition 139.
“We don’t talk about those topics,” said Garcia. “Because the population from Mexico is big here, some people may bring some stigma. But I don’t feel that way with [Hispanic] American citizens, they are more open.”
Proposition 139 is among the 13 state-wide propositions, that will be voted on. The constitutional amendment protects the fundamental right to abortion access and will be the first time Arizonans will directly vote to protect reproductive rights after activists began campaigning to get it on the ballot in early August 2023.
Spanish-speaking Arizona native, Allan Jaimes, 27, said that growing up Catholic has not affected how he will vote, on Proposition 139.
“It’s just the fact of it being a woman’s right to do whatever she wants to do with her body,” said Jaimes. “Like who’s right is it for these people to be like, oh no you can’t do anything, even to protect your life.”
Results from a survey in September by the Associated Press show about two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics and around 6 in 10 Hispanic Protestants feel abortion should be legal. The majority who support abortion accessibility are Democrats or independent voters. Out of all Hispanics, 57% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Moya said in his inner circles, that there is not much controversy against the proposition and that he is confident it will pass with Hispanics’ support.
“I believe that Hispanics will approve of it overwhelmingly. In the very traditional families there are just things you don’t talk about, but yet you support them. To me, this is forcing that open discussion to both talk about it [reproductive rights] and support it.”
Organizations like Voto Latino and Mi Familia en Accion work to increase accessibility and education to increase voter turnout. For the abortion ballot initiative to be successful Hispanics and Latinos who say they are in favor must turn out and vote.