Aurora police chief: Armed apartment invasion 100% gang activity
Dec 17, 2024
DENVER (KDVR) — Fourteen people were detained by Aurora police following a reported armed home invasion at the troubled apartment complex, the Edge at Lowry.
Aurora police chief Todd Chamberlain said in a press conference on Tuesday that at about 8:45 p.m. Monday at 1258 Dallas St., a male and a female victim were accosted by 13-15 armed individuals. Chamberlain said 13 were male and possibly three suspects were female.
The victims were then forced into a different unit in the same complex against their will. There, Chamberlain said the victims were bound, beaten, pistol-whipped, and the male victim suffered a stab wound.
Chamberlain said some of the suspects then went to the victim's apartment and burglarized the unit.
Hours later at 1:50 a.m. Tuesday, Chamberlain said the victims courageously told the suspects they would not call the police if they were released. The victims were subsequently let go and went to a friend's home where they called officers.
Chamberlain said officers immediately responded to the victim's location and obtained information about the scene. Officers then locked down the Edge at Lowry apartment complex and located 15 individuals inside one unit. Chamberlain said based on preliminary evidence, it appeared most of those individuals were involved in the armed attack.
Currently, officers are working on search warrants for all the units involved and are working to identify the suspects.
"I am utilizing any resource that I can to verify who these individuals are, who these suspects are, what their involvement is with this crime and what their identities are," said Chamberlain during a press conference. "I am presently using the Department of Homeland Security, I am using HSI and I am also using ICE to help identify who these suspects are and what actions they are involved in."
The 14 suspects have been detained and not arrested because officers are still working to identify them.
The victims are currently in the hospital being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police chief: '100% gang activity'
During the press conference, Chamberlain said that based on his expertise, he can guarantee "without question, this is a gang incident." However, he said he didn't know which gang was involved and if it was Tren de Aragua -- but police are still investigating.
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Chamberlain said it is incredibly hard to identify people as belonging to TdA because there are no specific markers or identifiers unless the suspects self-identify. However, Chamberlain said there is a "high assumption" that the suspects in this case may be affiliated with TdA.
"What I will say based on the actions that I saw, based on how the event unfolded, this is 100% gang activity," said Chamberlain.
Chief of police applauds victims' courage
During Tuesday's press conference, Chamberlian reiterated multiple times the courage the victims had in reporting this crime.
Chamberlain said it appears the victims are immigrants that came with the Venezuelan community. He said the fact that they stepped forward showed immense courage.
"Again these individuals, like many gangs and many individuals involved in this type of activity, they victimize their own race and their own ethnicity. The reason they do that is because they are easy victims because they know that because of their status, they will not come forward to the police. They know they can mistreat them; they know they can do things to them that they couldn't do to anybody else in the community based upon their fear of what the ramifications would be if law enforcement gets involved in that," said Chamberlain.
Apartment complex known for its troubled past
The Edge at Lowry has been deemed a troubled apartment complex after a viral video of a group of armed men surfaced in August. The owners of the video said it was taken shortly before a shootout at the complex that left one person seriously injured. Several vehicles were also damaged by gunfire.
Tenants of troubled Aurora apartment complex worry about looming closure
The apartment became a national topic when President-elect Donald Trump discussed the video during his presidential campaign. He visited Aurora in October and displayed enlarged mugshots showing the men identified in the video.
During the press conference, Chamberlain said the Aurora Police Department has been focused on that apartment complex.
"As everybody here knows, and as the nation knows, this complex is an incredibly problematic complex. It is an incredibly crime-riddled complex that we have been focusing on, the city of Aurora has been focusing on, and without question, the attention will not stop until every individual who victimizes somebody else will be held accountable or be removed from that complex," said Chamberlain.
The apartment is now set to close after the owner reached an agreement with the city. Proceedings will continue in January and if the buildings close the city will give at least 30 days’ notice to current residents lawfully staying at the property.