Eleven individuals, including suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, are under investigation for potential criminal charges related to the violent abduction and beating of a couple at an apartment complex in Aurora earlier this week, police announced Friday.
Eight of the suspects are in federal custody under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while three others remain at large. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain.
Some suspects have been identified as members of Tren de Aragua, a gang originating in one of Venezuela’s most notorious prisons, Chamberlain stated during a press conference.
Among the suspects is a 20-year-old man seen in a viral August video with six armed individuals knocking on an apartment door in the same complex shortly before a fatal shooting occurred. Police allege the man disguised himself in a wig and hat to evade capture during that incident.
Authorities had already issued warrants for the man on burglary and menacing charges tied to the August video. With his detention this week, four of the six men featured in that footage are now in custody, Chamberlain confirmed.
The recent attack, Chamberlain revealed, appears to stem from a video the female victim recorded last month. The video captured two women fighting at the complex and allegedly revealed criminal activity involving other individuals. After the video was shared online, the couple was targeted.
An armed group allegedly abducted the couple and held them for nearly five hours in a vacant apartment, where they were tied up and beaten. The husband was also stabbed during the ordeal. The attackers reportedly stole and destroyed the woman’s phone to erase the incriminating footage.
The suspects also burglarized the victims’ home during the incident, police said.
In addition to the abduction, the couple told police they had been paying $500 in extortion money to the suspects regularly. Investigators are now exploring whether other residents of the apartment complex have also been coerced into making similar payments, Chamberlain said.
Police have not disclosed further details as the investigation remains ongoing.
