Englewood Hispanics Targeted in Violent Attacks

Englewood police are investigating a string of violent assaults and robberies targeting Hispanic immigrants, including one that sent a man to the hospital early Tuesday. 

In the latest robbery reported just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, a 47-year-old man told police he was approached by six males, all dressed in black, near W. Palisade Avenue and James Street, Englewood Detective Capt. Tim Torell said Wednesday. Two of the males, who were believed to be less than 14-years-old, broke off from the group and demanded money. 

The victim told police that one of the older males might have had a handgun in his waist during the attack, Torell said. The other four older men apparently acted as lookouts. 

Earlier that day, four young males jumped and assaulted a 27-year-old resident as he walked home from work at a local restaurant through the Depot Square Park playground just before 3 a.m., police said. The victim fought off his attackers before they could take anything, but he sustained "significant" injuries and was treated at Englewood Hospital. 

Investigators have been probing three to four other similar robberies and assaults around the city's Palisade Avenue business district, according to police. In each incident, the attackers have been described only as young black males and the victims were all Hispanic laborers. 

Torell said the city has seen other attacks targeting the Hispanic community and urged other victims to come forward. 

“We have seen this in the past. Sometimes its gang initiations, sometimes it's crimes of opportunity and sometimes, unfortunately, its motivated by bias intimidation," Torell said. "These groups are often extremely brutal in their attacks and purposely target Hispanic residents they perceive as laborers who are illegal aliens that they think won’t report the robberies to the police for fear of deportation.”

Victims shouldn't fear police and services are available to aid victims, he added. 

"We don’t check people’s immigration status when they are victims. Knowing when, where and how these attacks occur help us tremendously in our investigations," the captain said. "Often victims incur medical expenses they can’t pay. There are services we can direct them to for help with that also.”

Anyone with information was asked to call the Englewood City Police Detective Bureau at 201-568-4875. All calls will remain confidential.

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