Officers arrived at the apartment complex and initiated a lockdown of the premises, responding to a report regarding an attack. Upon their arrival, they discovered approximately 15 individuals crowded in one apartment, with many of them suspected to be involved in the aforementioned assault, as stated by Chamberlain.
According to Chamberlain, “Most of them are without question or most likely … undocumented or immigrants to the city of Aurora.” Subsequently, law enforcement conducted a thorough search of five apartments within the complex. During the search, they uncovered a cache of weapons including handguns, magazines of ammunition, knives, as well as personal items such as cell phones and bindings that were consistent with the victims’ accounts. Additionally, officers recovered stolen belongings belonging to the victims, such as cell phones and jewelry.
The assailants had resorted to coercing the victims into divulging their banking information during the attack, Chamberlain disclosed. Prior to the abducting incident, the suspects had been extorting money from the victims for weeks, pressuring them to surrender substantial amounts of cash. Chamberlain emphasized, “These suspects were basically extorting or taxing these individuals, and I’m sure they have been doing it to more individuals that live in and around that apartment complex.”
The investigation is currently focused on determining whether other residents within the complex are also being subjected to monetary extortion, Chamberlain revealed. Notably, the US Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations have been enlisted to support the ongoing probe, with inquiries made by CNN for official statements from the respective agencies.
The victims of the assault were identified as Venezuelan migrants, who demonstrated immense bravery in coming forward to report the crime, despite potential apprehensions surrounding their immigration status. Chamberlain commended their valor, remarking that the suspects likely targeted them under the assumption that they would refrain from involving law enforcement.
“These individuals, like many gangs and many individuals involved in this type of activity, they victimize their own race and their own ethnicity,” expressed the police chief. “The reason they do that is because they are easy victims because they know because of their status they will not come forward to the police.”
The investigation of organized criminal conduct within the apartment complex poses significant challenges due to the high immigrant population residing there. Chamberlain acknowledged the hesitance of many residents to communicate with investigators, citing fears related to their immigration status.
“It is incredibly hard because a lot of those individuals that may or may not be victimized in there feel that they cannot come forward to the police based upon their immigration status,” he articulated. “The one thing that I want to assure everybody who lives in that apartment complex, everybody in the city of Aurora who is documented or undocumented: We are here to serve you.”
Chamberlain encouraged all individuals, irrespective of their immigration status, to feel empowered to reach out to the Aurora police if they have been subjected to criminal activities. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that no individual
