Masked men in hoodies and gloves who have smashed their way into nine “high-value” homes and stolen cash, jewelry and designer purses in the suburbs south of Denver are likely part of a “South American theft group,” law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The nine homes were burglarized most often on Fridays, shortly after sunset, from February through October, said the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, which is calling them “dinnertime burglaries.”
Still from a camera showing a burglary at a house in a Denver suburb. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
Arapahoe County, Cherry Hills Village Police Department, Columbine Valley Police Department and the Littleton Police Department are working with law enforcement officers in California, Arizona and Florida, which have arrested people from Chile, Colombia and Venezuela after similar burglaries.
The law enforcement warning comes as crimes committed by South Americans have come under intense scrutiny. Gang activity linked to Venezuelans in Aurora has been in the national spotlight, mainly because of former President Donald Trump, who said the city had been “conquered” by gangs during a campaign stop in Aurora this month. The claim has been disputed by Aurora officials, including the mayor and the police chief.
Authorities said in a news conference Thursday that they had no additional evidence pointing toward South Americans other than that the crimes fit the pattern of burglaries in other states where authorities have arrested South Americans.
“The only thing we can say is it is a very distinctive pattern,” said Brett Cohn, a sergeant with the Arapahoe County sheriff. “The pattern is they are targeting multimillion-dollar homes … Do we have any intel personally that it’s from South America? Absolutely not.”
A composite of different burglary suspects. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
The way the people enter the homes, through the back and by smashing a window, and the way they go through the homes searching for cash, jewelry and handbags, is similar across the country, he said.
Cherry Hills Village police officer Jeremy Gunther said Colorado authorities also have been talking to law enforcement officials in South Dakota, Delaware, Ohio, New York and Florida, where South Americans have been arrested in burglary sprees.
“It just happens to be people from South America,” he said. “We don’t know if ours are, but it just matches.”
In burglaries in other states, the suspects have used signal jammers to disrupt home alarm systems, but “it is unknown if the suspects in Colorado are doing this,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said they have no descriptions or photographs of vehicles and that they believe the burglars have been dropped off down the street from the homes.
The burglaries have occurred in homes that back to open space, green belts, canals, trails, golf courses or have heavy tree cover along their property line, the department said. Two to four people wearing masks and sometimes carrying a backpack have been involved in the burglaries, surveillance video shows.
“They will smash an exterior glass door, then rummage through closets, dressers and bathrooms,” according to a news release.
The burglaries happened at four homes in Cherry Hills Village, two in unincorporated Arapahoe County, two in Littleton and one in Columbine Valley. A homeowner interrupted one of the burglaries in Cherry Hills Village.
Map showing locations of different burglaries. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
The value of the stolen items is about $1 million, officers said.
In Southern California, federal authorities charged 10 people in a string of bank heists. The mainly Chilean nationals, using signal jammers and blowtorches, are accused of getting away with $2.5 million.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, authorities warned of a rise in home burglaries that they linked to South American theft groups described as “crime tourists” because they come to the U.S. to commit crimes. Police there said in February that they began noticing the problem in October 2023.
And in August, authorities said four Colombians were responsible for nine “high-end” home burglaries in six Florida counties. The stolen items, valued at about $1.7 million, included jewelry, watches, designer purses and bags and cash, authorities said.
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Publish date : 2024-10-31 08:48:00
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