Aurora city officials are seeking an emergency court order to immediately close the troubled Edge of Lowry apartment complex, claiming the property “presents an immediate threat to public safety and welfare,” according to records obtained by The Denver Post.
The alleged kidnapping and torture of two residents in December is the most recent in a string of crimes plaguing the complex at 1218 Dallas St., Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain wrote in an affidavit filed Thursday in municipal court.
“The Edge of Lowry Apartments is an epicenter for unmitigated violent crimes and property crimes perpetuated by a criminal element that has exerted control and fear over others residing at this apartment complex,” Chamberlain wrote.
The complex – which shot to international prominence after a viral video of armed men forcing their way into apartments caught the attention of President-elect Donald Trump – was already set to close in the coming weeks.
But owners Five Dallas Partners — which shares ownership with CBZ Management, the company that controls several dilapidated properties in Denver and Aurora — have taken no action to secure the property, Chamberlain wrote.
“The situation at the Edge of Lowry Apartments has reached a breaking point, where immediate action is necessary to bring stability and safety back to this area. Without intervention, I believe criminal behavior will flourish, making living conditions untenable for any law-abiding residents in this neighborhood,” Chamberlain said in the filing.
Chamberlain’s affidavit also reveals new details about a man and woman who were allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint, assaulted and tortured by more than a dozen suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The woman told investigators the pair was kidnapped because she took a video of a fight between two women in the apartment courtyard in late November that also showed some of the people who kidnapped them.
According to the filing, around 15-20 people armed with rifles and handguns kidnapped the pair on Dec. 16 and took them to a vacant apartment where they were tied up, questioned, robbed, assaulted and menaced.
The woman had a blunt force injury to her head and injuries to her hands “consistent with torture” and the man had a stab wound on his thigh, according to court records.
The pair also told police the suspects accessed their bank accounts and stole from them and had been extorting apartment residents by demanding rent payments, Chamberlain wrote.
City officials previously denied claims that residents were paying rent to gang members and that Tren de Aragua had taken over the complex. Chamberlain told The Post in late October that police had not received any reports of tenants being extorted for rent.
Aurora police identified six apartments connected to the December kidnapping and assault and seized three guns; suspected cocaine and other narcotics; items belonging to the victims; bullets; an extended magazine; knives; and zip ties after searching five of them.
Twelve people have been charged with kidnapping, burglary, assault, menacing and conspiracy in connection with the incident, Chamberlain wrote in the filing. Three suspects are still at large and one has not been identified. All have ties to the apartment complex.
Aurora city officials previously said they would give residents at least 30 days notice before closing the 60-unit complex and would help them find new housing. A court-appointed caretaker has already taken control of one of the complex’s buildings, and Aurora officials had reached a tentative deal with the property’s owners to close the rest of the property in the coming weeks.
An attorney for the apartment’s owner and manager is set to appear in Aurora Municipal Court on Monday afternoon.
Members of several Denver advocacy groups said apartment residents plan to gather outside the courthouse Monday to demand details about the relocation process after city officials did not respond to a request for a meeting.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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