Conservatives are hysterically spreading the claim that armed Venezuelan gangs are taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. Not only that, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is headed to the state to fight back.
But is any of it actually true? No.
Last week, a doorbell video showing a group of armed men has been cited as proof that South American migrants are taking control of multiple housing properties in the city.
“Armed Venezuelan gangs of illegals are taking over Aurora, Colorado apartment complexes and are now trashing the neighborhoods,” one X account wrote. “This paints a bad light on all immigrants. Donald Trump is being proven right.”
The claim is being pushed without verification by seemingly every right-wing media outlet, from the Gateway Pundit all the way up to Fox News.
On TikTok, users alleged that the both local police and even the FBI refuse to act and are allowing the gangs to run rampant. Some are even suggesting that the purported stand down from law enforcement was ordered by President Joe Biden as part of a nefarious plot to bring down America.
“They’re here. I tried to tell y’all. The military-aged men that were coming across the border are here,” TikToker Avery Jones said. “The Venezuelan gang has taken over an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado.”
But with all the fear being spread, conservatives say that a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of the Hells Angels, the notorious outlaw motorcycle club.
Are the Hells Angels going to Colorado?
Footage circulating online alleges to show members of the gang traveling en masse to Colorado to restore order at the complexes. Numerous accounts also claim that the Mongols, a rival of the Hells Angels, have joined in as well.
But the video being shown, despite the caption, is not from Sept. 1. The clip is more than a decade old, filmed in 2013, according to a Community Note on X.
Countless other videos used to show the motorcycle club are unrelated as well, including one that of motorcycle riders in Brazil earlier this year.
Other clips on TikTok make similar claims.
On Monday, Aurora Police responded to the viral rumor by stating that they do not believe the posts regarding the motorcycle club are in any way credible. Given that the club was allegedly supposed to arrive this weekend and never did, it’s fair to say that there was never any truth to the claim.
But what about the apartment takeovers? While police say that the apartment complexes shown have dealt with issues from the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua, the group has not taken control by any means.
Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris told Denver 7 that an investigation into the claim found it to be without merit.
“We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on. And there’s definitely a different picture,” Morris said. “I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community, but what we’re learning out here is that gang members have not taken over this complex.”
While many on TikTok spread the unfounded claim, others hit the ground to properly investigate. Numerous users in the Aurora area drove to the area in question and likewise confirmed that no takeover had taken place.
In other words, while the gang is causing concern due to criminal activity, the claims spread by conservatives are overblown and inaccurate.
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