PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — A 20-year-old man who identified himself as associated with the "Gilbert Goons" was arrested Wednesday in connection with an assault caught on video in Pinal County, authorities said.
Jacob Pennington of Gilbert faces aggravated assault charges for his alleged involvement in the assault of a teen boy on Nov. 18 in the area of the San Tan Mountain Regional Park, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Hombre arrestado en conexión con incidente de agresión en el Condado Pinal
RELATED: Gilbert PD exploring gang classification for 'Gilbert Goons,' investigating 8 teen violence cases
PCSO said more arrests could be possible as the investigation continues.
On Nov. 18, PCSO said they were called to a desert area off of North Wagon Wheel Road and West Sun Dance Drive for a report of an altercation.
Several witnesses reported seeing the victim being hit several times by Pennington. Two of those witnesses had "independent knowledge" of Pennington prior to the altercation and were able to identify him as the "main aggressor," arrest documents say.
PCSO said a video of the altercation shows Pennington striking the victim in the face before the victim tried to run away backward. Pennington chased the victim and yelled profanities, arrest documents show.
The video then shows Pennington striking the victim again, whipping his belt off and holding the victim down while others kicked the victim.
The victim was eventually assisted up by a friend and was able to flee, PCSO said.
The victim suffered minor injuries and was not able to immediately identify his attackers, PCSO said. After an investigation into the incident, the arrest of Pennington was made.
Pennington told deputies he was defending a female friend whom he said was struck by the victim.
Pennington also told deputies he is associated with the "Gilbert Goons," adding the group's name originated from a SnapChat group chat.
Detectives continue to investigate the case and are sharing information on this incident with Gilbert police to see if there are any connections with overlapping investigations of teen violence in the East Valley.
Police have declined 12News' repeated requests for an interview to discuss teen violence, however, in a statement released Monday, police said victims in some of their cases have referenced their assailants as being associated with a group known as the "Gilbert Goons."
Police are now investigating if that group should be classified as a criminal street gang.
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