The notorious Colorado apartment complex that was taken over by the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang has been ordered to close.
Judge Shawn Day ruled that the property presents ‘an imminent threat to public safety and welfare’ as he granted an emergency order to close the Edge of Lowry complex in Aurora, the Denver Post reports.
City officials had requested the order as they pursue criminal negligence charges against the property owners, Five Dallas Partners.
They described the 60-unit property as ‘an epicenter for unmitigated violent crimes and property crimes’ in court documents, citing the alleged kidnapping and torture of two residents by two suspected members of the Venezuelan gang.
The order would now force residents at the complex to move out, but authorities said they are working with ‘Arapahoe County and other community partners’ to provide relocation assistance.
However, it remains unclear how many people are living at the complex, with city leaders claiming that their dealings with similar properties indicate there could be anywhere from two to 12 people living in each unit.
The city is now working to hire an outside company that will manage the closure process, including going door-to-door to take a census of how many residents would need to be relocated.
Authorities would now like to close the complex by mid-February, city attorney Pete Schulte said following a court hearing on Monday.
An Aurora municipal judge ordered the Edge of Lowry apartment complex to close on Monday, ruling it presents ‘an imminent threat to public safety and welfare’
Attorneys for the Edge of Lowry owners, meanwhile, filed a motion to withdraw from the criminal negligence case late Monday.
‘This is stall, stall, stall,’ City Attorney Pete Schulte argued, according to the Denver Post.
‘We see that with this group again and again.’
Attorney Bud Slatkin, an attorney representing the Edge of Lowry owners, objected.
‘We are not in the business of stalling,’ he argued, as he appeared virtually in court.
‘We are in the process of protecting these residents and being good citizens of the city of Aurora.’
Five Dallas Partners and co-owners CBZ Management have not yet filed a petition to reconsider the emergency closure, not have they paid the $98 court fee to move forward with a jury trial in the criminal negligence case.
But Slotkin said he would pay it by the end of the day on Monday.
The problems at the Edge of Lowry complex first came to light in August when footage from a doorbell camera shared by residents – who are migrants themselves – showed several armed men running up to a unit and threatening residents
A hidden compartment in the wall at the Edge of Lowry apartments shows where suspect TdA members hid guns so police would not find them
The problems at the Edge of Lowry complex first came to light in August when footage from a doorbell camera shared by residents – who are migrants themselves – showed several armed men running up to a unit and threatening residents.
As reporting by DailyMail.com revealed, the gang had control of the property by seizing empty apartment units and illegally renting them out to other migrants.
The empty units were also used as drug and prostitution dens were johns paid money for sex with women and most horrifically, children.
They also threatened apartment office staff who tried to bring order and evict the gang bangers from empty units- beating one man to a bloody pulp.
Last month, Tren de Aragua members brutalized a couple at the complex, with Police Chief Todd Chamberlain claiming that a man and woman who lived in the complex were held against their will and ‘tortured’ by 13 to 15 armed men.
Police have charged nine people with kidnapping, assault and robbery after they allegedly tortured a couple last month
‘Victims were held against their will, they were actually bound, both the male and the female,’ the chief explained.
‘They were pistol whipped, they were beaten, they were terrorized. The fact that one human could treat another human like this is appalling.’
While the pair was being held hostage, the attackers went to the unit where the victims live and stole items from them.
Eventually the gangsters released the victims, who reported what happened to them to 911 just before 2 a.m.
The top cop says he can’t be certain the attackers are TdA members – but multiple local officers rubbished that ‘laughable’ claim to DailyMail.com
‘It could only be them,’ one local cop told DailyMail.com. ‘They run Edge of Lowry.’
They added that even Aurora police officers are instructed not to respond to the property alone and must have backup, usually several other officers, before TdA is considered so dangerous.
Nine people have since been charged with kidnapping, assault and robbery in connection to the incident, and seven people are still being investigated for their connection.
A map showing three Colorado apartment complexes taken over by the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang
Chamberlain continued to blame the apartment’s management on Monday for the incident, claiming they failed to address issues at the complex.
‘The problem is a mismanaged location that allowed this crime to flourish,’ he argued.
The owners have also previously argued in court documents that they could not retain a management team for the apartment complex due to the rampant criminal activity.
But they claimed that the problems were caused by ‘willful, reckless or negligent acts taken by the city and its agencies.’
A hearing in the negligence case is now scheduled for March.
