John Jefferson
Two men were arrested last week after their roommate said he was kidnapped and had his finger amputated before he was able to escape, Denver police said Wednesday.
The victim went to a Denver police station Oct. 17 and said his four roommates kidnapped him and held him against his will for two days, police said. During that time, he was allegedly assaulted and had a finger cut off.
After two days of being held captive, he was able to escape, authorities said.
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The Denver Police Department received a tip about the situation and conducted a welfare check at the location where the victim was being held Oct. 16.
The officers “investigated to the extent they were able without having full consent or sufficient evidence of a crime to support requesting a search warrant,” a police statement said. The victim told investigators the suspects left the location after the welfare check and that he escaped hours later.
On Oct. 18, authorities arrested two of the victim’s roommates — Jose Pineda-Moreno, 19, and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, 34.
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Both are charged with first-degree kidnapping – imprison/secrete – with bodily injury and first-degree assault – disfigurement and criminal extortion, among other charges.
Investigators were still working to identify two additional suspects. They were still trying to determine whether the attack was gang-related but believe it was an “isolated incident.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) declined to reveal the citizenship status of both suspects to Fox News Digital. The agency doesn’t release the immigration history of individuals unless there is an “articulable indication that they may be noncitizens,” he said.
Veliz-Gonzalez is being held on $510,000 bond, and Pineda-Moreno is being held on $100,000 bond, according to jail records. Both are scheduled to appear in court Friday.
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