Are the Hells Angels going to Colorado?

Conservatives are hysterically spreading claims that armed Venezuelan gangs are taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. Not only that, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is heading to the state to fight back.

But is all this true? No.

Last week, a video of a doorbell ringing a group of armed men was cited as evidence that South American migrants are seizing several homes in the city.

“Armed Venezuelan gangs of illegal immigrants are taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado and are now destroying neighborhoods,” wrote one X account. “This reflects poorly on all immigrants. Donald Trump is right.”

Armed Venezuelan gangs of illegal immigrants are taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado and are now destroying neighborhoods.

This casts a bad light on all immigrants. Donald Trump is right.

photo.twitter.com/1UQrnNdQss

— EXECUTIVE MEDIA (@EXECUTIVEXMEDIA) August 29, 2024

The claim is being reported without any verification by virtually every right-wing media outlet, from Gateway Pundit to Fox News.

On TikTok, users have claimed that both local police and the FBI are refusing to take action and are allowing the gangs to do what they want. Some have even suggested that the alleged law enforcement withdrawal was ordered by President Joe Biden as part of a dark plan to bring down America.

“They’re here. I’ve been trying to tell you guys. The military-age men that came across the border are here,” TikToker Avery Jones said. “The Venezuelan gang took over an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado.”

But despite all the fear being spread, conservatives say a glimmer of hope has emerged in the form of the Hells Angels, the notorious criminal motorcycle gang.

Are the Hells Angels going to Colorado?

Footage circulating online claims that gang members are traveling en masse to Colorado to restore order to the complexes. Numerous reports also claim that the Mongols, a rival of the Hells Angels, have also joined in.

But the video shown, despite the caption, is not from September 1. The clip is more than a decade old and was filmed in 2013, according to a Community Note on X.

There are also numerous other videos that feature the motorcycle club that have nothing to do with this one, one of which is a video of bikers in Brazil earlier this year.

Other clips on TikTok claim the same thing.

On Monday, Aurora police responded to the viral rumor by stating that they do not find the reports of the motorcycle club credible in any way. Given that the club was supposed to arrive this weekend and never did, it is fair to say that there was never any truth to the claim.

But what about the apartment takeovers? While police say the apartment complexes shown have been troubled by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the group has not taken control in any way.

Aurora Interim Police Chief Heather Morris told Denver 7 that an investigation into the claim found it to be unfounded.

“We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to figure out exactly what’s going on. And there’s definitely a different picture,” Morris said. “I’m not saying there aren’t gang members that don’t live in this community, but what we’re learning here is that gang members have not taken over this complex.”

While many on TikTok spread the unsubstantiated claim, others went to the scene to investigate thoroughly. Numerous users in the Aurora area drove to the area in question and also confirmed that no takeover had taken place.

In other words, while the gang is a cause for concern because of its criminal activity, the claims conservatives are spreading are exaggerated and false.

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