3 suspects identified in viral video of Aurora apartment break-in

AURORA, Colo. — Three armed men seen in a viral video breaking into an Aurora apartment unit have been identified and one of them is in custody, Aurora Police said at a news conference Friday morning.

Aurora Police have obtained arrest warrants for Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25; Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, and Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21. All three face charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm, police said.

Lopez-Fernandez is in custody. Police are searching for Zambrano-Pacheco and Serpa-Acosta.

The warrants stemmed from menacing that occurred about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Edge at Lowry apartments at East 12th Avenue and Dallas Street. Six armed men – five with handguns and one with a rifle – knocked on the doors of two apartments, entered those apartments and threatened the residents.

The burglary and menacing were captured on surveillance video that garnered international attention after being shared with multiple news outlets.

Police have not identified the three other men seen in the video.

About 10 minutes after that video was taken, Aurora Police responded to a fatal shooting outside the 12th and Dallas apartments. The investigation into the shooting of Oswaldo Jose Dabion Araujo, 25, is still under investigation, police said.

None of the men in the video have been connected to a gang but that doesn’t mean they are not in a gang, police said.

Police and the city have been pushing back on claims that the city has been “taken over” by a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA). Former President Donald Trump and other politicians have repeated those claims.

Tren de Aragua members have been arrested in Aurora for various crimes including shootings, assaults and menacing incidents. The most recent arrest was made on Aug. 5, police said. 

Many of the incidents happened at or near the Fitzsimmons Place apartments on Nome Street and the Whispering Pines Condominiums; however, some gang members were arrested for crimes that occurred in Jefferson and Boulder counties.

Anyone with information on the shooting and menacing of Aug. 18 in Aurora can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

This story includes previous reporting by Janet Oravetz.