A giant Northeast Dallas apartment complex faces possible closure in a nuisance lawsuit filed by the city.
The lawsuit says the complex, recently renamed “The Brooklyn,” is one of the city’s largest, with more than 1,000 units. It faces both Forest Lane and Audelia Road, wrapping around the back of a shopping center at the southwest corner of the intersection.
The lawsuit claims the owners knowingly tolerate criminal activity and fail to take reasonable measures to stop it.
The complex was called “The Vineyards” when manager Manny Anzaldua was murdered there in March 2019. Police said the man was shot in broad daylight as he struggled in the parking lot with robbers who were later arrested.
In addition to the capital murder, between Feb. 2, 2018 and Feb. 7, 2020, the lawsuit says there have been three sexual assaults, 12 aggravated assaults, 30 robberies or aggravated robberies and 29 other gun, firearm or drug crimes.
“It's bad,” said visitor Prana Montoya who has a friend who lives at the complex.
Montoya said she recently walked up on a fight between tenants that she found disturbing.
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“She wasn't hitting him, but he was being a little aggressive and yeah,” Montoya said. “We can have a little more of security.”
Neighbor Jeremy Jerman who lives in the single family home community adjacent to the complex said the problem he notices most is garbage in the alley where he walks his dog.
“There's a lot of trash and food left in the alley, so I'm holding the dogs to make sure they don't get into it,” Jerman said.
The lawsuit also cites 87 different code violations at the giant complex. It has five different street addresses on Forest and Audelia, all with the same corporate owner.
“My hopes would be that they're actually trying to improve the complex, make it safer, rather than maybe shut it down. Because if you shut it down there's going to be 1,000 people without homes, or homeless, and that just won't make it better,” Jerman said.
The lawsuit asks a judge to order improvements at the complex and impose $1,000 daily fines if changes are not made. It asks that the city be allowed to suspend utilities and close the complex as a last resort.
A manager at the complex office Wednesday gave the phone number for a spokesman who said the owners had not yet seen the lawsuit and could not respond.
