AURORA, Colo. — The city of Aurora is seeking an emergency order to close apartment buildings where they have seen Venezuelan gang activity, according to a Facebook post by Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman.
The Aurora City Attorney's Office is filing paperwork to declare the properties a criminal nuisance, the post says.
Coffman said the gang activity has been isolated to these buildings, which are all owned by the same out-of-state company.
In an interview on Next with Kyle Clark Thursday, Coffman acknowledged that residents of two or three apartment buildings in the city are being intimidated by a Venezuelan gang but said that Aurora Police are handling the situation and making arrests. But he said that national media coverage is exaggerating the problem and creating additional risks.
"It's overwhelming our 911 system, or our emergency call center, and so it's actually hurting our ability to respond to crime," Coffman said. "I would hope people would not do that. I think we're in some sort of environment of hysteria right now over this. It's a real issue. It's being dealt with. It's isolated."
Coffman's post did not identify which apartment complexes the city is attempting to shut down, but included a screenshot from a video taken at The Edge at Lowry on 12th Avenue and Dallas Street.
Until they are cleared out, a law enforcement task force will continue to be at the buildings to monitor gang activity and make arrests, Coffman said.