A District Court judge in Aurora, Colorado has signed two more arrest warrants for suspects involved in a viral surveillance video showing armed men rushing an apartment building on August 18. The suspects, Edilson Yoel Pena-Angulo, 25, and Danyeer Aramillo-Meneses, 23, are wanted on felony charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm. While ten Venezuelan nationals have been arrested and connected to the transnational Tren de Aragua gang in the past month, Aurora Police claimed that the suspects in the surveillance video are not connected to any criminal organization. Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky expressed frustration with police leadership for undermining the work done by the police department to identify gang members in the video.
Operation Safe Haven, a special task force within the Aurora Police Department dedicated to investigating crimes against the local migrant community, submitted the two arrest warrants to the courts. Six armed men were visible in the viral surveillance video just before a fatal shooting, with one suspect, Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21, already in custody. Of the six suspects, five have been positively identified. The Operation Safe Haven investigators are actively working to locate the outstanding suspects with the assistance of local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. They are also working to identify the last remaining suspect in anticipation of issuing a warrant for his arrest in the future.
Colorado became a sanctuary state in 2019 when Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 19-1124 into law. Denver is also a sanctuary city, meaning it does not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The office of Governor Polis and the Aurora Police Department did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The warrants for Pena-Angulo and Aramillo-Meneses were signed by an Arapahoe County District Court judge on Monday. The suspects are wanted not only for their involvement in the August 18 shooting but also for their appearance in the security camera video showing armed men entering the apartment building.
Aurora Police have denied that the Tren de Aragua gang has “taken over” the city, emphasizing that it is not an immigration issue. The arrests of Venezuelan nationals connected to the gang have been made in the past month, but the suspects seen in the viral video are not linked to any criminal organization. Operation Safe Haven is continuing its efforts to locate and apprehend the individuals seen in the surveillance footage. Council Member Jurinsky criticized police leadership for diminishing the hard work done by the department in identifying gang members. The investigation into the criminal activities captured in the video is ongoing, with law enforcement agencies at various levels collaborating to bring the suspects to justice.
The armed suspects in the surveillance video are considered dangerous, facing felony charges related to burglary and menacing with a firearm. One suspect is already in custody, with efforts ongoing to locate the remaining individuals. Operation Safe Haven is actively involved in the investigation, working closely with other law enforcement agencies. Colorado’s sanctuary state status and Denver’s sanctuary city designation pose challenges for cooperation with ICE, but law enforcement continues to pursue the suspects involved in the August 18 incident. The sign-off on the new arrest warrants by the District Court judge marks progress in the case, with additional updates expected as the investigation unfolds. The cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities will be critical in apprehending the suspects and ensuring the safety of the community.
