After years of noise and suspected crime in community north of Denver, neighbors see relief after SWAT raid
Residents of a quiet Adams County neighborhood north of Denver are hoping for their first peaceful night in years after law enforcement raided a home long suspected of being at the center of criminal activity.
Neighbors say that from about 10 p.m. until 4 a.m., the sounds of revving engines, metal grinding, and other noises filled the air -- what some described as a "chop shop" operating in the backyard of a home on Explorador Calle, just south of Thornton. The house sits between Monterey Elementary School and Coronado Hills Elementary School.
"My wife says we'll never be able to sell this house, not with these guys living here," neighbor Mike Fushimi told CBS News Colorado.
Fushimi said the disturbances have gone on for years.
"People going in and out constantly," he said. "It starts at 10 (p.m.), goes till 4 in the morning, and loud cars, loud motorcycles."
Fushimi says he's called the Adams County Sheriff's Office repeatedly. "They've been down here 14, 16 times in the last couple of years," he said.
On Wednesday night, that appeared to change.
"Right around, I would say, 10:45 (a.m.) or so, I looked out and started seeing all the cars pull up, and they kept on coming and coming," Fushimi said.
Multiple agencies, including a SWAT team, responded to the home following an investigation that began in Boulder.
Police said a Flock safety camera in Boulder detected a stolen pickup truck, possibly carrying a stolen motorcycle. Officers coordinated a response, and several people on motorcycles approached the truck and drove off, leading investigators to the home in Adams County. Both schools in the area were placed on "secure" status.
"They went through these back sheds, they got a whole bunch of motorcycles and bikes back there," Fushimi said.
After years of late-night noise and calls for action, Fushimi said the law enforcement presence finally brought some relief.
"I just hope that the sheriff's department acts a little faster and does something about these things," he said.
Boulder police said they are still working to determine whether the suspects are connected to other possible cases. They are asking anyone with information to contact their department.
