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Preston's Law charges submitted following assault
Surprise Police say a violent assault at a large teen party in April qualifies for charges under Arizona’s 'Preston's Law.' The law, which was named after slain teen Preston Lord, targets group attacks. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
SURPRISE, Ariz. - Surprise Police say a violent assault at a large teen party qualifies for charges under Arizona’s strict new law targeting group attacks.
The incident happened back in April, but this week, police say two teens have been identified and charged.
What we know:
Police have not shared the specific charges for the two teens, but they did confirm the situation does meet the criteria for charges to be brought under Preston’s Law, and that’s what the victim’s family is hoping for.
"The family wants people to be held accountable," said Adam Ashby, the teen victim’s attorney. "The only way teenagers are going to learn this is if someone is held accountable, and that actions are actually being done and that punishments are served."
Dig deeper:
Surprise Police have submitted charges for two teens under Preston’s Law, a category of assault that includes swarming, in which three or more people attack one person. The law is named after Arizona teen Preston Lord, who was beaten and killed at a house party in 2023.
"Prior to Preston’s Law, usually the judge or the prosecutor would only have to be able to charge this as a simple assault. But with Preston’s Law, this elevates it to an automatic class 4 felony," civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor said.
In May of last year, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2611 into law.
"Preston Lord was killed by other juveniles, people under the age of 18. Now, even if you’re a juvenile, this can be elevated to an adult court so juveniles now can be facing prison time for a first-time offense," Taylor said.
The backstory:
The victim’s attorney shared a video from the party in Surprise, where he says his 15-year-old client was lured to the party on April 4 and then ambushed.
"It was all a ruse to get him there in order to jump him… There were dozen of kids that chased my client around at gunpoint and threatened him and said if you run- we will shoot you. And then beat the heck out of him," Ashby said.
Another video taken from the party shows a different angle.
What's next:
Ultimately, it will be up to prosecutors to determine what, if any, charges the teens get.
The victim’s attorney, meanwhile, says more people are out there that need to be held accountable.
"Although we are happy that Surprise PD has found 2 people to charge, we’re saying there’s 8 more, there’s 9 more, there’s 10 more. Why isn’t the homeowner being charged? Why aren’t they being held accountable?" Ashby said.
What you can do:
Anyone who was at or knows information about the party on April 4 is asked to contact the Surprise Police Department.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Megan Spector.