Mexican Musician Wins $200,000 After Colorado Police Dog Attacks Him During Raid Over Bizarre Spanish Commands
A Mexican musician has been awarded $200,000 after a Colorado jury found two police officers liable for their roles in a 2023 raid that ended with a police dog biting him, despite his claims that he was unarmed and trying to show officers his identification.
Salvador Alonso Guerrero-Salmeron was staying in a rented room in Aurora, Colorado, when a SWAT team stormed the property on March 2, 2023. Officers were there to arrest another tenant suspected of drug-related offenses, but the operation left the visiting musician injured and facing criminal allegations of his own.
The case has now ended with a major civil jury verdict against two Aurora police officers.
Spanish warnings that allegedly made no sense
Guerrero-Salmeron, a professional musician from Mexico, was visiting the United States on a tourist visa while promoting his band and performing at various shows.
He did not speak English and said he had no connection to the man police were looking for.
According to his lawsuit, he woke up during the early-morning raid without understanding what was happening outside his room. Believing that someone might be breaking into the property, he reportedly sent a message to the landlord asking for help.
Officers had attempted to issue warnings in Spanish over a loudspeaker, apparently to alert residents that a police dog was present.
But a court-certified translation reportedly found that the Spanish commands were badly pronounced and included phrases that translated into the bizarre words: “Fart police, fart the wood.”
The intended warning was not clearly communicated.
During the operation, officers entered Guerrero-Salmeron’s room. Body-camera footage presented during the trial reportedly showed him holding up his identification and tourist visa as officers pointed their weapons toward him.
A police dog named Loki was then deployed and bit his arm for approximately 15 seconds.
His attorneys argued that he posed no threat and was simply trying to identify himself.
A criminal charge that was later dropped
The incident did not end when the dog released his arm.
Guerrero-Salmeron was arrested and accused of failing to obey a police order. That municipal charge was later dismissed.
He subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit against four Aurora police officers, alleging excessive force and malicious prosecution.
The lawsuit argued that the officers had no justification for allowing the dog to attack an unarmed man who was not the target of the raid.
Jury finds two officers liable
On November 3, 2026, an Arapahoe County jury found Officer Robert Wong, the police dog handler, liable for excessive force.
Officer Grant Peet was found liable for malicious prosecution. The jury also imposed punitive damages against Peet.
Two other officers named in the lawsuit, Oscar Pena and Jeremiah Miles, were cleared of liability.
The jury awarded Guerrero-Salmeron $200,000 in damages.
His attorneys, Joshua Landy and Luke McConnell, said the verdict was significant because it addressed both the dog attack and the prosecution that followed.
The Aurora Police Department had not provided a response to media requests for comment at the time of the reports.
Police defended their actions during the trial
The officers’ defense attorneys argued that the SWAT team was carrying out a high-risk operation and had no way of knowing what they would encounter inside the room.
They maintained that Guerrero-Salmeron had failed to follow police commands and that officers had reason to believe he could be armed or potentially dangerous.
They also argued that the dog acted according to its training and was called off when instructed.
The defense described the encounter as lasting only around 13 to 15 seconds.
The jury ultimately found two officers liable, while rejecting the claims against the other two.
A musician’s life changed by a police raid
For Guerrero-Salmeron, the consequences extended beyond the immediate injuries.
His lawyers said the attack had physical and emotional consequences and affected his ability to pursue his music career.
He had traveled to Colorado to perform and promote his band, not to become involved in a police investigation.
Three years after the raid, the jury’s decision has brought his civil rights case to a significant conclusion.
The verdict also raises renewed questions about communication barriers during police operations, the use of police dogs and how officers should respond when people inside a property do not understand commands.
Source: DAILYMAIL
