SURPRISE, AZ — There are new developments in a Surprise teen violence case that ABC15 has been following since April. Police confirm six teenagers have now been arrested in connection with a group attack on a 15-year-old boy.
For one Surprise family, the night of April 4 changed everything.
“Oh, I feel like I lost my life that day. I could not believe my 15-year-old went through something like that,” the teen’s mother, who does not want to be identified due to safety concerns, said.
Police say the 15-year-old was ambushed at a house party near Sarival Avenue and Greenway Road and beaten by multiple people. They believe he was threatened at gunpoint.
“They were yelling, 'Fight back! I'll shoot you!' So, my son couldn't even defend himself, and all they wanted to do was kick him and punch him,” the victim’s mother said.
Hospital records showed the boy had a concussion, head wounds, and a broken nose from the assault.
This week, Surprise Police announced two more juvenile arrests, bringing the total to six. Police say many of the teens were arrested with help from the SWAT team.
Court records show one teen accepted a plea. The other five face charges under Preston’s Law. Four are charged with aggravated assault, and one with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Preston’s Law was passed after 16-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death by a group at a Queen Creek party in 2023. It allows group assaults, or “swarming” involving three or more people, to be charged as a Class 4 felony.
“This is exactly the type of situation that the law was intended to address, so that you know where there are multiple kids, they can't point fingers at each other. They're all going to be charged equally,” Ashley Adams, an attorney with Adams & Associates, said.
If convicted of Class 4 felonies, the teens could face time behind bars or probation and rehabilitation courses.
“The prosecutor could theoretically offer for them to plead to a lesser charge,” Adams said. “But if they're convicted… this isn't just a playground violence type of thing. These are serious charges and have serious consequences.”
As the teen attacked continues healing, his mother shared his victim impact statement with ABC15.
The teen writes in part:
“I don't even want to live in Surprise anymore and we just moved here. My mom just bought this house.
Something is different with me now. My head twitches and I hate it because people ask me what's wrong with me. My nerves are messed up now. I think about what happened all the time. My mom worries about me all the time now and doesn't let me go places like she used to. It took away my freedom. I hate seeing how much this affected her and my family. I don't want this to happen to another kid. I think about my little brother and sister and I would never want them to go through something like this.
I hope the people who did this learn from it and never do it to anyone else. I could be dead. That’s crazy. This should have never happened.”
The victim’s mom is now hoping prosecutors pursue the cases under Preston’s Law going forward.
“Justice for my son is them being held accountable for what they've done,” she said. “This family lost their son, and now there's a law in place. So that law should take effect in anything moving forward, because my son is lucky to be alive.”
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as a preferred source on Google below:
