Dozens of burglaries targeting Asian homes, affluent neighborhoods across metro Denver, officials say
Lone Tree has seen an increase in residential burglaries that "seem to be part of a growing pattern in the Denver Metro area," the police department said.
admin
Burglary suspects targeting Asian communities and affluent neighborhoods across metro Denver have broken into dozens of homes and stolen at least $2.5 million in cash and other items, law enforcement officials said Monday.
The amount stolen may be as high as $5 million, but investigators don’t have the full picture because people are hesitant to report the crimes, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said at a community town hall.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating 29 burglaries targeting Asian households and another nine “dinner-time burglaries” at multi-million-dollar homes, while Douglas County is investigating 14 burglaries across both categories.
Investigators believe the suspects are targeting Asian homes and business owners because they may be more likely to have large sums of cash on hand and less likely to report the crimes to police, Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown said.
“We’ve been close to catching these guys already and if we were there only a few minutes before… but people are reluctant to get involved,” Weekly said, adding that tipsters can remain anonymous and only report an address and what they’re seeing.
Lone Tree officials have also seen a “noticeable increase” in burglaries targeting Asian residents where thieves take cash, purses, jewelry and other high-dollar items, the Lone Tree Police Department said Friday.
The suspects are likely watching homes to learn the routine of the people who live there, and investigators have even found cameras hidden in the bushes at some burglarized houses. They have also cut alarm system cables and jammed wireless internet signals to disable security cameras, Weekly and Brown said.
Investigators believe the suspects enter houses by shattering large windows or sliding glass doors on the back of the home, according to Lone Tree police. The houses also generally border commercial property, open space or a golf course.
Arapahoe County investigators have not tied the crimes to a specific group of people, but Weekly said the Douglas County suspects are believed to be Colombian nationals. Similar burglaries have been linked to a “South American Theft Gang,” where people enter the U.S. on short-term visas, create webs of false identities and target high-end retail stores and homes.
“We should not assume every single crime we’ve heard about in the media the past two month is from the exact same group,” Arapahoe County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Sugioka said at the town hall. “It’s obvious that there is a distinct group working, but one unfortunate pattern we see time and time again is copycat crimes.”
After two burglaries in the Heritage Hills neighborhood on Nov. 12 and Dec. 3, Lone Tree officers were able to identify a “vehicle of interest” using security camera and doorbell footage.
The car, a gray GMC Envoy that has significant damage to the driver’s front side, non-matching wheels and a sunroof, was spotted at the scene of both burglaries, police said in the news release. The vehicle was not bearing any license plates during both burglaries.
Anyone with information about the burglaries can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or the Lone Tree Police Department at 720-509-1225.
People can keep their homes safe by making sure doors and windows are locked when they leave, having lights in their yard and on timers indoors, using interior and exterior security cameras and reporting any suspicious activity to police, according to the sheriff’s offices.
Both Arapahoe and Douglas counties have crime prevention specialists who can work with business owners to improve safety, agency officials said.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
