Nine suspected members of the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) were charged following a violent December home invasion, kidnapping and robbery in Aurora, Colorado.
The apartment complex gained widespread national media attention over claims it had been taken over by the Venezuelan gang earlier this year.
The Aurora, Colorado Police Department announced the nine arrests on Monday in the armed home invasion and kidnapping that left two victims seriously injured.
The nine suspects were identified as:
- Andres Alexander Liendo-Padilla, 26
- Javier Alexander Alvarado Parada, 24
- Jesus Alberto Alejos Escalona, 22
- Junior Reyes-Barrios, 28
- Barbara Sivle Medina-Arcaya, 29
- Donarkys Teresa Suarez-Quesada, 31
- Luigi Javier Soto-Sucre, 26
- Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20
- Jengrinso Elias Loreto-Petit, 26
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The suspects face varying charges, including second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, aggravated robbery, second-degree burglary, extortion and menacing, the department said.
Serpa-Acosta was previously wanted on an active felony warrant for first-degree burglary and menacing with a deadly weapon, police said. His warrant stemmed from Aug. 18, 2024, when a security camera captured Serpa-Acosta and five other armed men knocking on apartment doors at The Edge at Lowry about 10 minutes before a fatal shooting.
In addition to the above charges, the department said that they’ve obtained arrest warrants for three additional suspects that are not in custody yet.
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The charges against the suspected gang members come after a savage saga on Dec. 17, 2024 at approximately 2:30 a.m.
The gang members allegedly forced their way into a couple’s apartment at the Edge at Lowry Apartments in the Denver suburbs and bound, beat, stabbed and kidnapped the victims, leaving them hospitalized. The perpetrators also allegedly stole jewelry from the victims.
A total of 19 suspects were initially apprehended in connection to the kidnapping, which authorities previously described as “tortuous.”
Three people were subsequently released after being interviewed by investigators, and it was determined they were not involved in the crime, police said.
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The remaining 16 suspects were being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The additional seven suspects not yet charged were in ICE custody and remained under investigation, police said.
“I will say without question, in my opinion, that this is TdA activity. Some of these individuals have been identified as TdA gang members,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at the start of the investigation. “It’s something that we are working very close with our partners in HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and DHS [Homeland Security] to establish their relationship with gangs.”
Chamberlain said authorities have little way of confirming that a suspect is a member of TdA since gang members do not typically broadcast their affiliation.
“It is a real challenge to try to say, ‘Hey, 100%, you are a gang member,’” he said. “But when you look at the circumstances of this, when you look at the events of this, when you look at the individuals involved in this, when you look at the veracity and the violence involved in this, again, it is not a big step for me to say that they are TdA gang members,” he said
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According to Chamberlain, this was not an isolated incident. He said the TdA members and their affiliates have regularly mistreated the couple and were extorting them for $500 every two weeks. He believes the couple were not the only victims being intimidated and extorted by the gang members.
The investigation into the Dec. 17, 2024, kidnapping is active and ongoing. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
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