Massive crowd of Venezuelans gather at Colorado mall, fire shots in air, leave trash after Maduro allegedly wins election

A massive crowd of mainly Venezuelan immigrants practically took over the parking lot of a shopping mall in Aurora, Colorado, on Sunday night, firing shots in the air and leaving trash everywhere in response to the presidential election in Venezuela, some 3,000 miles away.

Between 5 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, people began flocking to the Garden on Havana shopping center, many waving Venezuelan flags, as early returns indicated that political outsider Edmundo González Urrutia was on track for a landslide victory over Nicolás Maduro, the socialist president who rose to power in Venezuela in 2013 following the death of socialist dictator Hugo Chávez.

However, Venezuelan officials then reportedly kept vote tallies secret over the next several hours, and shortly after midnight, the National Electoral Council announced that Maduro had prevailed, securing a third term in office.

Foreign leaders slammed the apparent election improprieties and demanded transparency regarding the results. Even Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" about Maduro's alleged victory, as Blaze News previously reported.

'This is in the United States of America... this is in YOUR city.'

The crowd gathered in Aurora was likewise erratic. According to Aurora police, as many as 4,000 people swarmed the shopping center, making nearby roadways "impassable" and preventing mall customers from entering or leaving.

Aurora PD also acknowledged other unruly behaviors from the crowd. "Trash and debris were left behind," and shots were "fired into the air," the department said in a statement.

A Facebook post from Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky gave a similar report. "The shopping centers were invaded and cars trapped in. The streets were shut down. There are reports of assaults, theft, and gunshots in the air. I have not heard of any reported deaths," she wrote.

While there have been no reports of injuries from the gunfire, Jurinsky claimed in her Facebook post that "a police car was shot up." She later walked the assertion back slightly, telling 9News, "That is the way it was conveyed to me, but I have not seen the police car."

Police confirmed that "an unknown object" did strike a patrol unit, causing "minor damage," but could not verify whether the object came from the gathering. The incident remains under investigation.

Officials also disputed Jurinsky's claim that "police were totally over run, and [were] forced to get out of the area for their safety." "Police did not leave and were there for the entire event," Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby countered.

Officers did investigate a possible assault and shoplifting incident at the shopping center on Sunday. Otherwise, they did not make any arrests or issue "any tickets, citations or summons," the department said.

"We recognize that Sunday’s incident was disconcerting and alarming for a large number of our residents and citizens," Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matt Longshore said on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Jurinksy certainly appeared frustrated by an uproar in Aurora over an election in a foreign country. "Thousands of these folks took over and completely shut down a part of our city. ... This is in the United States of America... this is in YOUR city," she wrote on Facebook.

'We are concerned about statements ... that mischaracterize this event and risks inciting fear, division, and violence against newcomers. Aurora has always thrived because of its diversity.'

Mayor Mike Coffman, who previously served in Congress and as the Colorado secretary of state as a Republican, likewise took to Facebook to express concern about what he called "an unfortunate incident" instigated by "members of the Venezuelan immigrant community."

"Their celebration not only closed off access to the stores at the Gardens on Havana shopping center but ... also left a lot of trash, beer bottles and beer cans in the parking lots for the retail stores to clean up at their expense," Coffman continued.

He also demanded an apology:

My message to the leaders of the Venezuelan immigrant community is that while I fully understand the reason for your celebration that doesn't excuse your community from acting responsibly and you owe the residents of my city an apology for the unacceptable conduct demonstrated by far too many of your community members.

SOS Venezuela Denver, a local activist group, quickly offered one.

"It is unacceptable that individuals decided to hold such an event without considering the consequences or assessing the risks," a statement from the group read in part. "This event was a sad display of lawlessness and disregard for the community, especially considering that the city of Aurora has been particularly welcoming to the Venezuelan community," the group said.

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, by contrast, suggested that the demonstration was "peaceful" and therefore protected under the First Amendment. CIRC communications manager Raquel Lane-Arellano even went on to accuse "some city council members" of putting Venezuelan "newcomers" at risk by reporting on the incident.

"We are concerned about statements from some city council members that mischaracterize this event and risks inciting fear, division, and violence against newcomers. Aurora has always thrived because of its diversity. We urge Aurora residents and city council members to reject divisive rhetoric and refrain from sharing unverified information," Lane-Arellano said.

Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have abandoned their homeland in recent years, and some 40,000 of them have made their way to the greater-Denver area. The Denver Gazette estimates that the large influx of migrants has cost local taxpayers about $72 million in under two years.

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