AURORA, Colo. — Claims about a Venezuelan gang's activity in Aurora have included conflicting statements from the city's mayor, Mike Coffman. On Friday, Coffman went back to saying he agrees with police that there hasn't been an apartment complex "takeover."
Apartment complexes in Aurora, owned by the same company CBZ Management, are at the center of a national media frenzy. Conversations locally about a city-wide "takeover" began earlier this summer.
On July 29, conservative councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky wrote on Facebook about a large gathering at a shopping center parking lot. "Venezuelan flags" were flying among thousands who "took over and completely shut down a part of our city", she wrote.
Two days later on July 31, Mayor Coffman shared a similar thought on talk radio.
"If you know Aurora, then what you know is that we have areas in our city, unfortunately, that have been taken, and we have to take back," he said on "The Dan Caplis Show".
A week after that interview, a property owner of troubled apartment complexes in Aurora made public claims that Tren de Aragua took over their buildings. APD and city leaders were warned on August 9th about problems at one of those properties - Whispering Pines.
In a 10-page report, a law firm representing the lender holding the mortgage said it appeared the Venezuelan gang had "forcefully taken over" the property. They wrote issues with Tren de Aragua began in late 2023. The report claimed gang members violently broke into empty units, tried to extort tenants for rent money and even severely beat a staff member in November of last year.
Records show the property manager filed a police report last November and claimed he was punched around 20 times. The police report said there was "no gang involvement/motivation" in the case.
Prosecutors filed charges against the suspect in July for felony menacing and misdemeanor assault.
One month after receiving the law firm's 10-page report, Mayor Coffman shared a different opinion. On Friday, he wrote on Facebook he now agrees with APD's Interim Chief that "a Venezuelan gang is not in control of either of these two apartment complexes."
He also said the city manager offered to place two APD officers for two weeks at each apartment complex, Whispering Pines and The Edge at Lowry, if the owner is willing to provide onsite property managers.