AURORA, Colo. — Aurora community members repeatedly called 911 Saturday afternoon as a man actively destroyed their community garden.
But Aurora police records show officers did not arrive for more than three hours.
Cellphone video shared with Denver7 Investigates shows a man smashing beehives, breaking cinder blocks and ripping up crops at the Denver Urban Gardens site near East 16th Avenue and Yosemite Street.
"You're going to jail for this," volunteer Mathew King can be heard yelling in one video as the destruction continued.
Gardeners say they watched helplessly while waiting for police to respond.
"He was out here with the rock, just breaking the cinder blocks like that for hours," King said.
Garden member Edna Sanchez said she comes to the garden daily.
"I come every day and water my plants," Sanchez said. "I bring my son here."
She showed Denver7 Investigates her tomatillos, cabbage and cucumbers growing in the garden plots.
"Yes, I love it. I love it," Sanchez said. "This is another air to breathe."
But Sanchez and other gardeners said the peaceful community space became a crime scene Saturday afternoon.
"These are the beehives — what’s left of them,” King said while walking through the damage. "He just destroyed it."
King said he called 911 several times while the damage was actively happening.
According to records provided by Aurora police, the first 911 call came in at 12:57 p.m. Saturday.
Police records show the call was initially classified as a Priority 3 "verbal disturbance."
Officers were not dispatched until 3:48 p.m. and arrived at 4 p.m., records show.
Dispatch audio reviewed by Denver7 Investigates indicates callers reported active property destruction.
"We have multiple callers who state that he was damaging property and throwing rocks," a dispatcher said in audio obtained from Broadcastify.
Police ultimately arrested 42-year-old Worku Woldemariam on a felony criminal mischief allegation connected to the incident.
Denver7 Investigates also confirmed he had been arrested five days earlier in Douglas County in a separate case involving allegations of criminal mischief, theft and tampering.
Aurora Mayor Pro Tem Allison Coombs told Denver7 Investigates she was concerned about the response time and how the call was prioritized.
"I'm very concerned that active, in-progress threats and property destruction are considered a low acuity call that doesn’t merit an immediate response," Coombs said.
Coombs said she regularly hears complaints from residents about response times for lower-priority calls.
"We hear a lot about community members not getting the response that they would hope to have for what are deemed lower acuity calls," she said.
Aurora police declined Denver7's request for an interview but confirmed the department’s homeless abatement team does not work weekends.
Coombs said the case highlights broader concerns about mental health response resources and that the incident exposed a gap in Aurora’s public safety system.
"I think we need to have the mental health responders available seven days a week," she said.
Coombs also questioned whether the issue is staffing levels or how police resources are being used.
"We are almost at full authorized force of police officers,” Coombs said. “So I don’t think that that’s the issue. I think it’s about how we’re using the staffing and the officers that we have.”
APD told Denver7 Investigates it is still compiling average response-time data for Priority 3 calls citywide.
King estimated the community garden suffered roughly $2,500 in damage.
"I have to do it out of my own pocket," King responded. "It's Denver Urban Gardens, and they don't have any money right now. I buy the locks when they get broken. I do the stuff I can."
Gardeners said the damage goes beyond broken property.
"This is for our kids, our grandkids, and we need to keep this safe for them," Sanchez said.
As volunteers begin rebuilding the damaged garden, King said the incident also reflects broader social challenges involving mental health, homelessness and public safety.
"Looking in these people’s eyes, I see desperation of humanity," King said. "He just wants a place to live, shoes, some food. It's sad. We need to fix this."
