In a shocking video, armed gang members are seen storming an apartment building in Colorado that is already plagued by crime, forcing resident to flee their home as escalating violence and the influences of Venezuelan gangs rises.
The men can be seen entering The Edge at Lowry Apartments in Aurora, an alleged hotspot for crime recently, speaking in Spanish and carrying weapons as they walk up a stairwell.
In another clip, two men are seemingly forcing a door open while carrying rifles and handguns. It's unclear whether they were targeting a specific apartment.
The couple who shot the footage told FOX 31 it was recently taken just before a shootout at the same complex that left one person critically injured.
Cindy and Edward Romero, were living in the Lowry apartments up until Wednesday.
They have since loaded up their belongings and moved out.
"It's been a nightmare, and I can't wait to get out of here," now-former resident Cindy Romero said.
Cindy explained the measures she takes to try and stay safe and showed the media outlet a series of locks lining her front door from top to bottom.
"Every day when we come home, we have to do this every time we go outside to take out the garbage. Every time we go to bed at night. We have to keep like this so that nobody can kick in the door," she added.
The Romero's car was apparently filled with bullet holes after a shootout at the complex earlier this month and allege the troubles only began when a large number of migrants moved in.
Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky was also on hand Wednesday to help the couple move and find a new place to live.
"The city nonprofits have lined up to help the migrants that have come here, but nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes," Jurinsky said, noting that the complex had been overrun by a Venezuelan gang.
"This isn't just Americans. Other Venezuelans are being extorted by this gang," she continued.
The city and Aurora Police Department released a statement following the incident to say they've "established a special task force in collaboration with other local, state, and federal partners to specifically address concerns about Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and other criminal activity affecting migrant communities."
Furthermore, "APD has been increasingly collecting evidence to show the gang is connected to crimes in the area," the statement read.
