GILBERT, Ariz. — Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg in a news conference Thursday said there were roughly 260 calls for service for teen-on-teen violence in 2022 and 2023.
Soelberg shared the stat during his third weekly news conference following dozens of arrests in the East Valley in the last few months in connection with group teen violence.
Soelberg said "teen-on-teen violence" means the suspect and victim are teens, 14-18 years old. Some of the active cases Gilbert police are investigating do not fall into this category, Soelberg said, because they involve adults.
"It was based on total calls for service for those two years and those that we could identify as teen on teen, meaning 14 to 18 years old," Soelberg said.
In January, Gilbert police made 22 arrests in connection with teen violence cases, Soelberg said. The way the police department counts arrests is not by the number of people who are arrested but by the number of arrests made. Soelberg said if an individual is arrested in three separate cases, the police department counts that as three arrests.
"It's all about the safety of our community," Soelberg said. "I understand people are frustrated and they want answers and we are trying to provide as much information as quickly as we can."
Gilbert police on Wednesday announced three more arrests made in connection with teen violence investigations.
Soelberg said another news conference will be held next week on Wednesday or Thursday.
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