Surveillance cameras at a Colorado apartment building captured what appeared to be gang activity, and police did not cooperate in a situation one former resident described as “unaccountable.”
The video shows multiple men armed with handguns and one man with a scoped rifle breaking down the door to the apartment for unknown reasons.
The group appears to be the Tren de Aragua (TdA), an international gang based in Venezuela that reportedly has 5,000 members and whose motto is “Genuine til death do us part” or “Genuine til death do us part.”
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According to a report in the New York Post, TdA is currently linked to more than 100 crimes across the country.
“There's no question that there is sex trafficking going on right now” in connection to TdA's activities in the city, Aurora City Councilman Daniel Jurinski said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
“This is an organized act. They don't even try to hide their guns, they patrol the property in plain sight. There is no retaliation. They are ghosts,” said one resident, who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.
A group of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang took over an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, and demanded rent in exchange for “protection.” (Edward Romero)
The resident said the gang has also been spotted selling drugs in the same apartment building.
“I literally had to borrow from everyone I know to move into a new place. It's all the money I had,” the resident, who moved out of her occupied apartment Wednesday afternoon with the help of City Councilman Daniel Jurinski and Congressional candidate John Fabbricatore, told Fox News Digital.
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She also credited Fox News with helping her get out of the troubled housing complex, saying, “I'm actually grateful to Fox News for connecting us with Congresswoman Danielle Jurinski and for her doing everything she could to help us and get us out of there.”
Aurora police released a statement via X saying, “We believe reports of TdA effects in Aurora are sporadic.”
Police in a Denver suburb told FOX 31 on Wednesday they are “not aware” of any gang-related apartment takeovers in the area.
“There's no safety net because the police don't come. They say, 'Stay inside and lock your doors.' I have to work! I was paying rent and these people weren't paying anything. I've been paying rent every month for years,” the resident told Fox News Digital.
One resident said the apartment had been completely taken over by suspected gang members and the locks had been changed. (Councillor Daniel Jurinski)
“It's been like pulling teeth to get anyone, the media or other elected officials across the Denver metro area, to acknowledge that this trend exists and that there's a problem,” Aurora City Councilman Daniel Jurinski said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
“I hope [the police] “They didn't help me and do anything. They literally could have helped me. Their response to me was, 'Have you ever thought about moving?' And when I thought about it and started crying,” the resident recalled.
“No help is coming for any of us. The police are investigating and are not on our side.”
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Aurora Police sent Fox News Digital the same statement they posted on social media when asked for comment.
