INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
A grand jury has indicted an 18-year-old man for aggravated robbery and assault in connection with an incident that occurred in August at a fast-food restaurant in Gilbert.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on Friday announced the indictment of Christopher Fantastic.
Fantastic is accused of punching a victim while the victim was on the ground on Aug. 18, according to a release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Earlier this week, Mesa police said Fantastic was booked for aggravated assault as a suspect in a May attack on a teen near Val Vista Drive and Southern Avenue.
He is the second suspect arrested in the case, the first being a 17-year-old who was taken into custody on Jan. 11, according to a Mesa Police Department release.
On May 29, Mesa police officers responded to reports of a fight involving 30-40 juveniles and young adults near Val Vista and Southern. When officers arrived, people scattered, but some remained and spoke to officers, authorities said.
They did not provide any information about a fight, which police described in the release as a “vicious attack against a teenager.”
A report was made Jan. 4 with the Mesa Police Department regarding the May 29 fight. Video evidence was provided and used in collaboration with witness accounts of the attack to identify the two suspects, police said.
Fantastic was in custody for unrelated charges when officers connected him to the May aggravated assault, police said.
Mesa authorities ask anyone with information about the May incident or other cases of teen violence to call police at 480-644-2211.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.