A gathering of Venezuelan migrants spiraled out of control this week when gunshots rang out in a parking lot in a suburban Colorado town.
In yet another sign of the problems within the Venezuelan community living in the United States, the chaos unleashed by migrants living in Aurora, Colorado, has come to light in a TikTok video.
“Those Venezuelans are taking over the country,” a man is heard saying in a video posted to TikTok by user 100packsavvy.
Images from July 29 show chaos in a Target parking lot in Aurora, where Venezuelans had gathered for a weekend rally over elections in their homeland.
Although it was quiet most of the time, South Americans invaded the mall, taking it over completely, with cars packed together, bumper to bumper.
A vandalized parking lot was left behind the gathering of Venezuelan migrants in July
This forced Target and other retailers in the area to close early, for fear that their customers could be caught up in the protests, according to Telemundo Denver.
As night fell, the trash-strewn parking lot went from disgusting to dangerous.
Police responded to several incidents, including gunfire, the Spanish-language outlet reported.
TikTok users who recorded the video said he and his companions were almost run over.
“We almost got run over,” says a man.
The incident is the latest video of the Venezuelan community coming under scrutiny in Aurora.
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 7 Harrowing images appear to capture the moment a Venezuelan armed gang took control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963385_350_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
Harrowing images appear to capture the moment a Venezuelan armed gang took control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 9 Other members of the gang then run up the stairs, carrying weapons. In the background, the men can be heard speaking Spanish to each other.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963387_991_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
Other members of the gang then run up the stairs, carrying weapons. In the background, the men can be heard speaking Spanish to each other.
Just hours ago, security video showed suspected gang members allegedly taking over an apartment complex in the city.
In the video that emerged on Wednesday, armed men can be seen breaking into the building.
A hooded man carries a high-powered rifle and knocks on a door of the building, while several others hold pistols.
The couple who filmed the footage told local station Fox 31 that it was recorded shortly before a shooting at the complex, in which one person was seriously injured. Several vehicles were also damaged in the exchange of gunfire.
“A GANG HAS TAKEN OVER several apartment complexes in Aurora!” wrote local councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky on Twitter.
Local police stopped short of linking the thugs to the infamous Tren de Aragua (known as TDA), but Councilman Jurinksy told Fox 31 that the building had been invaded by a Venezuelan gang.
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 11 Venezuela's most violent gang, Tren de Aragua, has moved its headquarters across the U.S. border to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963388_764_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
Venezuela’s most violent gang, Tren de Aragua, has moved its headquarters across the U.S. border to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez.
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 13 The Tren de Aragua gang tattoos (pictured above) were part of a Department of Homeland Security bulletin recently shared with federal agents.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963389_9_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
The Tren de Aragua gang tattoos (pictured above) were part of a Department of Homeland Security bulletin recently shared with federal agents.
“It’s not just about Americans. This gang is also extorting other Venezuelans,” Jurinsky said.
The images come as the migration crisis under the Biden administration has shifted away from the US-Mexico border and into American cities.
The Venezuelan mafia has established footholds across the country, including in New York, Colorado and Texas.
The Dallas Police Department has exclusively confirmed the gang’s presence in North Texas to DailyMail.com
In the Denver area, police from across the region have formed a task force to deal with the problem. Criminal organization in the Rookies.
As reported exclusively by DailyMail.com, TDA has established a new headquarters on the doorstep of the United States, in Juarez, Mexico.
The city is just across from El Paso, Texas.
Officials in Texas’ sixth-largest city are working on a confidential plan to combat the gang threat.
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 15 Last month, the U.S. government designated the Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization and announced a $5 million reward for the capture of its leader, Hector](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963390_750_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
Last month, the U.S. government designated the Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization and announced a $5 million reward for the capture of its leader, Hector “El Niño” Guerrero Flores.
![Gunshots ring out at Venezuelan gathering in Target parking lot in Aurora as Colorado police warn ruthless Tren de Aragua gang on the loose 17 In one of the most brutal incidents yet of brazen phone theft in New York City, a 62-year-old woman was seen being dragged down a Brooklyn street by a robber on a motorcycle.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724963391_559_Gunshots-ring-out-at-Venezuelan-gathering-in-Target-parking-lot.jpeg.webp)
In one of the most brutal incidents yet of brazen phone theft in New York City, a 62-year-old woman was seen being dragged down a Brooklyn street by a robber on a motorcycle.
Cindy and Edward Romero moved out of the apartment on Wednesday due to safety concerns.
“It’s been a nightmare and I can’t wait to get out of here,” Cindy Romero told Fox as she packed her belongings.
In their apartment, the Romeros had an elaborate system of locks that ran from the top of the door to the bottom.
“Every day when we get home, we have to do this every time we go out to take out the trash,” said Cindy Romero, demonstrating how the locks worked.
“Every time we go to sleep at night, we have to stay like this so that no one can break down the door,” he added.