Jury Awards $200K Over Aurora Police Dog Bite
A Colorado jury found two Aurora officers liable in a 2023 raid that left a man renting a room bitten by a police dog.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Law Enforcement
A Colorado jury awarded more than $200,000 to Salvador Alonso Guerrero-Salmeron over a police dog bite during a 2023 Aurora raid. Jurors found officer Robert Wong liable for excessive force and officer Grant Peet liable for malicious prosecution.
Why it matters
The verdict holds Aurora officers personally accountable for the use of a police dog during a raid on the wrong room of a home. It adds to scrutiny of how Aurora police conduct early-morning operations and command force against people who may not understand English commands.
The jury returned its verdict on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, awarding more than $200,000 to Guerrero-Salmeron. Jurors did not find fault with officers Oscar Pena or Jeremiah Miles, and the source does not indicate whether any appeal has been filed.
The players
Salvador Alonso Guerrero-Salmeron
The man who was bitten by the police dog during the Aurora raid and was awarded more than $200,000 by the jury.
Robert Wong
An Aurora police officer and the dog's handler, found liable by jurors for excessive force during the SWAT operation.
Grant Peet
An Aurora police officer found liable by jurors for malicious prosecution in connection with the raid.
The details
Officers arrived on March 2, 2023, to arrest a man renting a different room in an Aurora home, then entered the bedroom where Guerrero-Salmeron was asleep and commanded the police dog Loki to bite him. He was unarmed and holding his tourist visa and ID during the roughly 15-second bite, and officers had announced commands in English and Spanish through a loudspeaker.
Timeline
March 2, 2023: Police raid and dog bite in an Aurora home.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Jury awards more than $200,000 to Guerrero-Salmeron.
Legal Context
The verdict follows a period of heightened scrutiny of Aurora police after the 2020 death of Elijah McClain, when civil and criminal accountability for officers became a central public issue in the city. Holding individual officers liable in a civil jury trial reflects the kind of personal accountability that has grown more prominent in Colorado excessive-force litigation.
Aurora residents who live in multi-occupant homes may be affected by how police identify and enter rooms during early-morning operations. The verdict may prompt the city to review its use of police dogs and its procedures for issuing commands in multiple languages.
The takeaway
Renters sharing a home with others should know that police may enter shared spaces during operations targeting someone else. Anyone who believes they were harmed by police conduct can pursue a civil claim, as this verdict shows.
Further reading
For more on how police conduct is reviewed in the area, explore Law Enforcement coverage from Aurora.
