Mormon teens become targets of beating

www.azcentral.com - Two Gilbert teens found with swastika marks on their wrists are accused of firing pellets at two boys and beating them up because they are Mormon, according to a police report released Monday.

Police said the attack Saturday evening at a neighborhood park northeast of Islands Elementary School left one victim, a 15-year-old boy, with facial injuries. He was taken to a local hospital.

According to the report, the teens accused in the attack near Elliot and McQueen roads went up to the boy and a 17-year-old and asked if he and the 15-year-old were Mormon. When the two answered "yes," the teens began shooting a pellet gun at them. Police say the fight escalated from there, with the teens making anti-Mormon statements during the assault. advertisement OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1') on error resume next MM_FlashCanPlay = ( IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & MM_contentVersion)))

The teens who are accused of firing the guns, ages 15 and 16, were arrested outside one of the boy's homes that night. They were booked into the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Facility on suspicion of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and underage drinking. The 16-year-old also is accused of DUI.

The Arizona Republic typically doesn't release the names of minors in such cases.

Gilbert was once home to a White-supremacist gang of teenagers. In 1999, the Devil Dogs garnered national media attention for beating up people, as well as being tied to a drug ring and former mobster Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano. The group was disbanded after numerous arrests.



Reach the reporter at emily.gersema@arizonarepublic.com.