Within the past forty-eight hours, a video depicting a violent assault at Moreno Valley Skatepark began circulating on social media. The video clearly depicts three male juveniles being attacked without provocation, while many onlookers stood by, without intervening on behalf of the victims.
The video became known to deputies at the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station during the evening of Sunday, July 21, 2019. Working cooperatively, deputies assigned to the Special Enforcement Team, School Resource Officer Unit and Patrol Operations immediately assumed this investigation in an effort to establish a timeline of events. An exhaustive review of Moreno Valley’s City-Wide Camera System was conducted and the violent assault was determined to have occurred at 8:15 PM on Saturday, July 20, 2019.
The attack was captured in its entirety on the City-Wide Camera system and suspects were positively identified as two black male juveniles, both age 17, of Moreno Valley. Also identified was 35-year-old Robert Lee Aaron III, of Moreno Valley. Three victims have been positively identified as Hispanic and white juveniles, ages 14 and 15, all of Moreno Valley. The specific identities of the involved juveniles are being withheld due to their age.
Overnight, search warrants were executed in the 23800 block of Elyce Court and the 23000 block of Bay Avenue, in Moreno Valley. Two of the three suspects were arrested and multiple items of evidence related to this attack, including a firearm were seized. Efforts to locate the third suspect, as well as other persons of interest in this investigation, are ongoing. Robert Aaron was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center for assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, willful child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of minors. The 17-year-old suspect in custody was booked into Riverside County Juvenile Hall for felony assault and conspiracy.
The Sheriff’s Department appreciates the support of all the community members who assisted in this effort to keep our community safe and apprehend the perpetrators of this violent act. Surveillance footage reviewed capturing activity at the park in the hours leading up to this incident makes clear this was a premeditated attack, without justification or provocation.
"This type of behavior has no place in our city," said Mayor Yxstian A. Gutierrez. "We take great pride in our parks as safe places for our community to play and relax. To keep them safe, we ask residents to say something if they see something."
"Our 38 parks are monitored by park rangers and police on a regular basis," said City Manager Tom DeSantis. "But, of course, they can't be everywhere all the time. We rely on members of the community to report any criminal activity directly to police rather than simply posting the incident to social media."
The City of Moreno Valley and the Sheriff’s Department will not tolerate violence of any kind in our parks and our community. This incident will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to include anyone found complicit in this attack at a later date and time. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Special Enforcement Team Deputy T. Moala, at 951.486.6700