PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating a group teen assault that happened in the area of the San Tan Mountain Regional Park.
It happened on November 18th. Officials 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.
Video of the fight has been shared on social media in the East Valley and it shows a 16-year-old getting ganged up on by a group of other teens. He is punched multiple times and once he's taken to the ground, assailants take turns kicking him.
A spokesperson for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed the video being shared is in fact of the November incident.
Officials say the teen suffered minor injuries and was not able to immediately identify his attackers.
The incident has been forwarded to PCSO's Criminal Investigations Bureau for further investigation. This case remains active as investigators continue to interview those potentially involved.
"I was not surprised about another attack," said Katey McPherson, a youth mental health advocate and East Valley mom.
McPherson and others have been vocalizing concerns about the safety of teens in the East Valley for the past several months. Community frustration has mounted since the horrific death of Preston Lord. The 16-year-old was assaulted and killed outside of a Halloween party in Queen Creek on October 28th.
"I think the public needs to know there's not just like one group of four or five. We're talking 20-30 deep and this style is a thing. It's a trend," McPherson said.
Gilbert PD says it has reopened four of its teen assault cases in light of Lord's death.
It's unclear if those involved in the Pinal County assault case are connected to any other cases being investigated.
McPherson cautions parents of this violent trend and says social media plays a big role. She notes assailants typically record their group-style assaults then share the videos on social media for the purpose of clout and likes.
"We knew this was coming post-COVID. A lot of the experts and behavioral science said we're seeing more aggression, we're seeing more physical assaults, our high schools have never seen so much violence post-COVID. So none of this really surprises me," McPherson said.
Queen Creek PD says its investigation into Lord's death is ongoing and they have submitted charges against seven people for review to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
RELATED: Here is what has happened in the Preston Lord homicide investigation in the last two months
So far, no arrests have been made.
In an interview with KTAR on Friday, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said Queen Creek PD's report was 1,800 pages and they are reviewing around 2,000 pieces of evidence, including around 600 videos.
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