AURORA, Colo. – A chilling saga has transpired at the Edge of Lowry apartment complex, which has already been known for crime, abuse, and video recordings, according to a report by the local news. Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told the story of two Venezuelan citizens who were allegedly kidnapped, beaten, and abused by gang members.
“He was pistol-whipped and severely beaten,” Chief Chamberlain said at a press conference. “One of the victims was even stabbed. Does that qualify as torture? For me, yeah, it does.”
The Incident
The couple’s story traces back to late Monday, when armed men invaded their apartment in Northwest Aurora. The attackers took them to one abandoned unit at the Edge of Lowry complex. Both of them were physically beaten for about five hours until they convinced their abductors that they would be let go if they did not speak anything about the incident.
Against all odds, the victims were able to reach out to their friends and the police. Luckily, both of them had non-life-threatening wounds and were able to receive medical attention. On the other hand, law enforcement arrested a combined 15 persons from one unit during the ongoing investigation.
“Chamberlain said her coming forward showed incredible courage. “We are committed to ensuring their smooth transition into safety as the case unfolds.”
Complex Under Scrutiny
For many years, the Lowry complex edges had been rife with violence, including shootings and gangsterism. Its notoriety has escalated more so as a result of foreign interest along with a disturbing event where a video surfaced of armed men storming into an apartment. The aftermath of the ‘violence’ prompted some of the residents to state that they were unable to leave their units owing to the police seal on the area.
City officials and law enforcement have stressed that the deterioration of the complex can be attributed significantly to poor management on the part of the owners, CBZ Management. This, coupled with mouse infestations and safety protocol violations, ensures hell breaks loose, a situation highly prone to criminal interception.
“I’ve been there. It’s squalor,” Chamberlain remarked. “It is hard to imagine, but there is no one in this room that would live like that room right now.”
Gang Involvement
According to the CC, he suspects the involvement of gang members who are presumably immigrants or from the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TDA); however, he added that no concrete associations have been verified thus far. The Tda gang has been at the core of many local or national discussions and debates, many times serving as a catalyst to anti-immigrant remarks.
“It could be a TDA; it might not be a Tda,” Chamberlain voiced an alternative. “TdA is not the suspect everybody should be looking out for because there are no specific identifiers that help in identifying the suspects. It is very difficult.”
Law Enforcement and Federal Collaboration
Authorities are working with federal agencies, including ICE, to identify the attackers and determine if there are any warrants pending against them.
While some detainees were taken to ICE detention centers, advocacy groups have raised concerns about the possibility of wrongful detention. Vi Reeves of the Households Action Network Denver reported that families believe many of those detained are innocent.
Community Impacts and Future Actions
Eviction is becoming a little too close for many residents of the complex, which has a good number of Venezuelan immigrants. City authorities have placed threats of closing the entire building, quite similar to what they did to another property that is said to have been owned by CBZ. However, this is not to say that the challenges do not exist; Mayor Mike Coffman and Chief Chamberlain claim that the criminal incidents involving the complex do not mean it is the whole Aurora region that is affected.
“Seattle is not a gang-infested, drug-infested, crime-infested city. This is not an example,” said Chamberlain. “The same is true for Portland: Apartment buildings and the areas around them are just as active as those in other major cities.
Moreover, the city has also been aggressive in ensuring CBZ Management and its affiliates do not operate without a check by pursuing legal avenues while at the same time ensuring that there are more resources allocated to that area. Chamberlain assured all residents, including those living in the suburbs, through the media, that this is not the case, as his department will work on the relief measures that will solve the problem permanently.
“We do not say that we are avoiding the problem,” he said. “We are accepting the problem, and we are going to resolve the problem.”
This latest incident highlights the wider issues affecting communities in and around Aurora, including crime and a feeling of systematic indifference. As investigations continue, the priority is still to seek justice for the victims and to ensure the area is once again safe for the residents.
