Two alleged Tren de Aragua gang members — who appeared in the viral security video that set off a national media firestorm in August — were arrested in New York City last week.
The two men, Edilson Pena Angulo, 25, and Danyeer Aramillo Meneses, 23, were wanted by the Aurora Police Department for first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm.
The warrants were issued after security footage from The Edge at Lowry apartment complex allegedly captured six men knocking on apartment doors. Police said the men carried handguns and a rifle and were "unlawfully entering apartments” at the complex on Dallas Street around 11:20 p.m. on Aug. 18.
Just ten minutes after the video was captured, 25-year-old Oswaldo Jose Dabion Araujo was shot to death outside the complex. According to police, the video and shooting were related.
The two men were arrested in the Bronx by a New York-based gang task force and the Department of Homeland Security during a federal search.
“The arrests last week were the product of nothing other than the dedication of the city of Aurora’s officers and detectives, and our positive working relationships with local, state and federal partners throughout the country,” said Aurora police Chief Todd Chamberlain in a written statement. “We will continue our unwavering pursuit of all the remaining suspects in this case, and anyone else who victimizes members of our community, until they are brought to justice.”
Police are looking for other suspects
Pena Angulo and Aramillo Meneses were two of six total suspects identified by Aurora Police in the viral security footage.
Three other men — Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, Adan Jose Ramirez-Sanchez — are still wanted by Aurora Police. Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, another suspect, is already in custody.
According to police, the three remaining suspects “have fled, as evidenced by the recent capture of two wanted fugitives in New York City.”
In addition to arresting Pena Angulo and Aramillo Meneses, the feds also seized five firearms that have now been sent to Colorado so investigators can “determine if they are connected to any additional crimes in Aurora and the Denver metro area.”
Both Pena Angulo and Aramillo Meneses are Venezuelan citizens.
According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson, both men entered the U.S. illegally through El Paso, Texas, last year. They will both remain in ICE custody pending criminal and immigration proceedings.
