‘The scene is very reminiscent of the [Tren de Aragua] gang takeover that occurred last year and gained national attention,’ the Aurora police chief said.
Todd Chamberlain, police chief of Aurora, Colorado, said on June 17 that suspected members of the Tren de Aragua transnational gang have been terrorizing residents of an apartment complex in the city.
Chamberlain also shared footage of one of the recent attacks on residents of the Edge at Fitzsimons apartment complex, located at 544 Potomac Street.
🚨 Armed Party Investigation 🚨
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) June 17, 2025
The Aurora Police Department continues to take decisive action following a weapons-related incident reported early Monday morning, June 9, at an apartment complex near E. 6th Ave and Potomac Street. This multi-day operation has involved proactive… pic.twitter.com/c9WThgOehy
The footage shows a group of masked individuals, at night, pointing guns and banging on the door in an attempt to gain entry to the apartment of an immigrant family that had moved in two days prior.
“The scene is very reminiscent of the [Tren de Aragua] gang takeover that occurred last year and gained national attention,” Chamberlain said at a press conference Tuesday.
Chamberlain said that since August last year, the Aurora Police Department has received 44 emergency calls from residents for 12 different incidents.
On Aug. 24, 2024, gunshots were reported. On Sept. 24, 2024, a 14-year-old boy was kidnapped from one of the apartments. Gunshots were again reported on Oct. 13 and Dec. 24, 2024. On Jan. 6, three Venezuelans forcibly took a resident into his apartment, and on June 7, 22 gunshots were recorded.
The police chief said officers responded to each report: “We have been focused on that area. We have been working in that area.” He also said that the video provided to police by a resident “really gave us the understanding of the complexities that were occurring.”
“Had they opened that door, I shudder to think what might have happened to them. But unfortunately, that is what we have seen at that apartment complex, and it’s what we have been dealing with,” he added.
According to Chamberlain, the tactic of perpetrators positioning themselves around a door with multiple weapons is not something seen daily or in normal crimes. These are individuals who have received training to carry out these actions and pose a significant risk to the community, he said.
“The majority of these individuals involved in this are Venezuelan, or affiliates of the Venezuelans, who have either been indoctrinated or groomed or brought into it,” he noted. “And again, when you look at that criminal history of [Tren de Aragua], the way they acted, what they did, it’s very consistent with what we see here.”
