EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Federal officials in El Paso have relinquished custody of an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member they say is linked to a violent June 24 jewelry store robbery in Denver.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents in Las Cruces, New Mexico, last week turned over the suspect to Denver County Sheriff’s Department staff for transfer to Colorado. HSI said the man is a Venezuelan national, a member of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization and a “suspect in the June 24 Denver jewelry heist.”
The brutal robbery caught on video shows several young men posing as clients suddenly turn on the all-female staff and clients. The robbers are seen pulling out guns, pushing open an office door and pistol whipping two women who fall onto on the floor. A young woman can be seen grabbing a baby and running out a back door during the chaos.
The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry, and police in Denver put out a lookout for the eight males whose likeness was caught on camera.
Records show Jean Torres Roman, 21, was booked into the Downtown Detention Center in Denver on state charges of attempted first degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery and menacing (making threats). Torres also has a U.S. Marshals’ federal jail “hold.”
A previous arrest affidavit filed in Denver County District Court lists Torres as a suspect in a June 11 shooting on the 2300 block of South Monaco Street Parkway in Denver that left a victim with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Records show Torres is being held under a $100,000 bond in Colorado and is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 21 in Denver District Court.
On June 27 in El Paso, police officers in SWAT gear took into custody several people at a motel near Montana Avenue on undisclosed charges.
Border Report on Monday contacted police in Denver, who declined to answer several questions posed in an email. They referred further inquiries to HSI.
The federal agency earlier confirmed in an email the activity as the motel involved “our partners in the Denver Police Department,” but referred further questions to authorities in Colorado.
Denver police later told KDVR it is aware of a warning issued by the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Police Department – based on federal law enforcement intelligence – regarding the presence of Tren de Aragua in Denver and an alleged gang leadership directive to attack or shoot at police officers there.
“As with any information about possible criminal activity that may impact other jurisdictions, details are shared across agencies. DPD is monitoring and making officers aware of the safety concerns shared by our law enforcement partners,” the department said in a statement to KDVR.
Border Report also reached out to one of the victims of the June 24 robbery, who said she did not know of any arrests in the case. She preferred not to answer questions by telephone after the traumatizing event.
The Joyeria El Ruby store is a family-owned business in operation for the past 24 years.
KDVR contributed to this report
