Gilbert Police Department Provides Update on Teen Violence Cases

GILBERT, Ariz. – Teen violence continues to be a pressing concern for the Gilbert Police Department. On January 25th, Police Chief Michael Soelberg held a meeting to provide updates on the latest developments in these cases.

This marks the second meeting Chief Soelberg has held since the tragic death of Preston Lord in Queen Creek, which prompted a thorough investigation into other assault cases involving teenagers.

“Despite these acts of violence, Gilbert remains an excellent and safe community,” assured Chief Soelberg. “We are dedicated to doing everything in our power to put an end to teen violence.”

Over the past week, the Gilbert Police Department has made several arrests related to teen violence in the West Valley area.

“We had ten arrests prior to last week. Additionally, we made one arrest earlier this week and three arrests yesterday,” Chief Soelberg revealed. “All of these arrests are connected to incidents of teen violence. Furthermore, we made two additional arrests yesterday that stemmed from ongoing investigations.”

The three individuals arrested on January 24th have been identified as 18-year-old Kyler Renner, 19-year-old Gage Garrison, and a 17-year-old minor.

“The state is deeply concerned about the safety of the community due to the dangerous actions of the suspects involved in this case. They attacked a victim, who was curled up in a ball on the ground, with the assistance of two other accomplices. One of the accomplices was even using brass knuckles,” Chief Soelberg explained.

Kyler Renner was arrested in connection with two separate assault cases. The first assault occurred in November 2022, while the second assault took place in a parking garage on December 3, 2022. Investigators have determined that Gage Garrison and the 17-year-old minor were both involved in the parking garage assault in December.

The Gilbert Police Department is currently investigating ten cases of group teen violence assaults. However, the question remains whether these individuals can be classified as a gang.

“We have made significant progress in the investigation,” Chief Soelberg shared. “It’s important to note that this investigation involves not only the Gilbert PD, but also the DPS, Queen Creek Police Department, Mesa Police Department, and our county’s sheriff’s office. Together, we are focused on determining whether any of these individuals can be identified as part of a gang, regardless of the gang’s name.”

Chief Soelberg refrained from providing an exact number of additional suspects they are still searching for, but he emphasized that all of these cases are actively being pursued.