19 detained for alleged home invasion at apartment Trump claimed Venezuelan gang took over

Nineteen individuals have been detained for allegedly torturing two people during a home invasion at an Aurora, Colorado apartment complex that received national attention when President-elect Donald Trump claimed it was being taken over by a Veneuzlen gang.

Aurora police responded to the Edge at Lowry Apartments just before 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday after receiving a report of an armed home invasion involving a stabbing and kidnapping, the department wrote in an X post.

Police's preliminary investigation indicates a man and woman were approached by 13 to 15 armed individuals around 8:45 p.m. on Monday, Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a news conference on Tuesday. The two individuals were taken "against their will" to an adjoining apartment at Edge at Lowry where they were bounded, pistol-whipped, beaten and "terrorized," according to the chief.

The man sustained a non-life-threatening stab wound during the incident, while the woman has other non-life-threatening injuries, police's X post reads.

Suspects discovered by police in Edge at Lowry Apartments

During the torture, the armed individuals went back to the man and woman's apartment and burglarized it, Chamberlain said. At some point, the armed suspects released the victims who then went to a nearby friend's house and called 911 around 1:50 a.m., according to the chief.

When Aurora police officers met the man and woman and got their side of the events, the department began a "systematic search" of the complex and ultimately found about 15 individuals that were inside an apartment unit, Chamberlain said. Based on what the police knew about the incident, they determined that most of the individuals in the apartment were involved in "this terrible crime," the chief added.

Aurora police confirmed in an email to USA TODAY on Wednesday that another apartment at the complex was possibly associated with the crime or suspects, which brought the total of detained persons to 19. No arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed, according to the department's email.

"We have proactively been focused on that apartment complex, as everybody here knows and as the nation knows, this complex is an incredibly problematic complex," Chamberlain said. "It is an incredibly crime-riddled complex."

Chamberlain called the complex a "criminal nuisance location" that "needs to be put in receivership," which is something he confirmed the city is currently working on.

Home invasion was a 'gang incident' involving Venezuelan immigrants

On Tuesday, Chamberlain said his department was in the process of writing search warrants for all the locations involved, particularly at the Edge at Lowry Apartments. Police are also trying to identify the suspects and "what actions they were involved in," according to the chief.

Chamberlain said it appears that the victims and detained individuals are immigrants from Venezuela and that this was a "gang incident." He applauded the victims' courage for not fearing the gang and for coming forward and calling the police.

"I want to assure you that the Aurora Police Department will not tolerate this type of behavior by anybody," according to the chief. "We will not allow the victimization of our community members, whether documented or undocumented, to occur."

During the news conference, Chamberlin estimated that possibly 35,000 to 40,000 Venezuelans were dropped into the city of Aurora at some point.

"You're basically talking about a small city that dropped into a large city," the chief said.

Tren de Aragua gang's presence in Aurora prompt Trump comments

Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, were seen in viral images toting guns while collecting rent money from tenants at the Edge at Lowry Apartments.

Then-Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said the complex was not being "taken over" by gang members, according to a video shared by the department on Aug. 30.

"We've been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on, and there's definitely a different picture," Morris said in the video. "I'm not saying that there's not gang members that don't live in this community."

Chamberlain did not confirm during the news conference if the 19 detained individuals were with the Tren de Aragua gang.

The viral images of the alleged gang members and further speculation elicited a response from Trump who in September during the presidential debate on ABC News said, "We have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums."

"You see what's happening with towns throughout the United States. You look at Springfield, Ohio. You look at Aurora in Colorado," the incoming president said. "They are taking over the towns. They're taking over buildings. They're going in violently. These are the people that (Vice President Kamala Harris) and (President Joe Biden) let into our country. And they're destroying our country. They're dangerous. They're at the highest level of criminality."

Tren de Aragua's presence in Aurora is 'limited'

After Aurora police announced the arrest of 10 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua in September, following Trump's comments, Mayor Mike Coffman and Council Member and Public Safety Chair Danielle Jurinsky released a statement saying the gang's presence in the city is being overblown.

"TdA has not 'taken over' the city," the statement reads. "The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true. Again, TdA’s presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months."

The two city officials also said the "criminal element" of this situation was a "regional issue" and referenced separate arrests that were been made in Denver and Arapahoe County.

"We are optimistic about public safety in our city," according to the statement. "We will continue to embrace our identity as the most diverse city in Colorado and remain steadfast in our commitment to arrest bad actors."

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aurora, Colorado apartment 'gang incident' linked to 19 people: Police