Two men were arrested in Denver after their roommate reported being kidnapped and having his finger amputated. The victim told police that his four roommates had held him against his will for two days, during which he was allegedly assaulted and had a finger cut off before managing to escape. The Denver Police Department conducted a welfare check at the location where the victim was being held but did not find enough evidence to support a search warrant. The victim informed investigators that the suspects left shortly after the welfare check and he escaped hours later. On October 18, two of the victim’s roommates, Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, were arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping, assault, and criminal extortion, among other charges. Authorities were still looking for two additional suspects and investigating the possibility of gang involvement.
The Denver Police Department received a tip regarding the kidnapping and conducted a welfare check at the location where the victim was being held. Despite not having enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, investigators determined that the victim had escaped after the suspects left following the welfare check. Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez were arrested on October 18 and charged with first-degree kidnapping, assault, and extortion, among other charges. Authorities were still working to identify two additional suspects and determine whether the incident was gang-related, although they believed it to be an isolated event. The spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not disclose the citizenship status of the suspects.
Both Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez were arrested and charged in connection with the kidnapping incident. Pineda-Moreno, 19, and Veliz-Gonzalez, 34, faced charges of first-degree kidnapping, assault, and criminal extortion, among others. The two men were held on bonds of $100,000 and $510,000 respectively and were scheduled to appear in court on Friday. Police were still investigating the case in an attempt to identify the remaining suspects and determine the motive behind the attack. Despite speculation about gang involvement, authorities believed it was an isolated incident.
The victim of the kidnapping reported the incident to Denver police, stating that he had been held against his will for two days by his roommates. During this time, he was allegedly subjected to assault and had one of his fingers amputated. Following a welfare check at the location where the victim was being held, the suspects left and the victim managed to escape. Two of his roommates, Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, were subsequently arrested and charged with various offenses, including first-degree kidnapping and assault. The investigation was ongoing, with authorities still looking for two additional suspects and trying to determine if the attack was gang-related.
Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez were arrested and charged in connection with the kidnapping incident reported by their roommate. The victim alleged that he had been held against his will, assaulted, and had a finger amputated by his captors. The Denver Police Department conducted a welfare check at the location where the victim was being held, but lacked sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant. Pineda-Moreno and Veliz-Gonzalez were charged with first-degree kidnapping, assault, and extortion, among other charges. Authorities were still seeking two additional suspects and investigating whether the incident had gang ties, though they believed it to be isolated. The citizenship status of the suspects was not revealed by ICE.
The victim of the Denver kidnapping incident reported to police that he had been held against his will by his roommates, during which he was assaulted and had a finger amputated. Two of the roommates, Jose Pineda-Moreno and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, were arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree kidnapping and assault. The suspects were held on bonds of $100,000 and $510,000 until their court appearance. Police continued to search for two additional suspects and investigate the motives behind the attack. While they were unsure if the incident was gang-related, they believed it to be an isolated event. ICE did not disclose the citizenship status of the suspects unless there was an indication they were noncitizens.
