Mexican musician says Colorado SWAT officers shouted 'fart police' before K-9 bit him
A Mexican musician is suing Colorado police after a SWAT raid where garbled Spanish commands were followed by a police dog bite.
What came through the police loudspeaker sounded less like an order and more like nonsense. A later translation turned one repeated phrase into “Fart police, fart the wood,” and that bizarre detail is now part of a lawsuit from a Mexican musician who says the confusion ended with a police dog biting his arm.
Salvador Alonso Guerrero-Salmeron was staying in a rented room in Aurora, Colorado, on March 3, 2023, when a SWAT team closed in on the property. Officers were there to arrest another man who lived at the address, but Guerrero-Salmeron says he did not understand what was happening.
The lawsuit says police used a loudspeaker to tell people inside to come out, giving instructions in English and Spanish. The problem, according to the case, was that the Spanish was so badly delivered that it was largely unintelligible. One line repeated by officers, “Pedo policía pedo la madera,” was later translated as “Fart police, fart the wood.” Another officer allegedly reacted by saying, “You just ordered the taco plate.”
Guerrero-Salmeron, who is a professional musician visiting the United States on a tourist visa, said he thought criminals might be breaking into the property. He texted his landlord that it was “very ugly” there and that he did not know what was happening, while urging her to call the police.
What happened in the bedroom
The man officers were looking for was arrested, but the encounter with Guerrero-Salmeron did not end there. According to the lawsuit, police later returned to his bedroom and broke down the door.
Guerrero-Salmeron says he was unarmed and was holding his identification and tourist visa when officers began shouting commands in English. A police dog named Loki was then ordered to attack, and the dog bit his arm for about 15 seconds, according to the complaint.
He was then arrested on a charge of failing to obey a police order. The case also alleges that one officer told him, “Don’t speak Spanish. Speak English. I speak English.” That charge was later dropped.
His attorneys say the injuries from the dog bite have affected his ability to perform music, turning what began as a misunderstanding during a raid aimed at someone else into a case with lasting consequences for his work.
Why a jury may decide it
The lawsuit accuses police of excessive force and malicious prosecution. Guerrero-Salmeron’s legal team argues there was no basis to use a K-9 against him because he was not presenting a threat.
Attorney Luke McConnell framed the issue in direct terms, saying police cannot send a dog to attack unless the person involved poses a threat serious enough to justify that level of force, and that his client posed no threat at all.
The officers dispute that account. They maintain their actions were reasonable and argue that Guerrero-Salmeron failed to follow commands for more than an hour, which they say meant he could have posed a threat.
A judge decided that question should be left to a jury. The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial on October 19, putting the spotlight not only on the dog bite itself, but also on whether commands delivered in broken Spanish can be treated as clear police orders when everything that followed depended on them being understood.
What SWAT teams and police dogs are for
Special weapons and tactics units are specialist police teams used for high risk situations. That can include armed suspects, barricades, searches in dangerous conditions, or scenes where officers believe ordinary patrol tactics are not enough. Their training usually focuses on fast entry, close coordination, and controlling a scene quickly.
Police dogs, often called K-9s, are working animals trained to help with tasks such as finding people, detecting certain scents, tracking movement, or helping officers make an arrest. A dog can cover ground quickly and respond to commands in ways that are hard for people to match. In tense situations, though, that speed and force can also create a serious risk of injury.
How a police dog is usually deployed
A police dog normally works with a handler, who gives verbal or hand commands and is responsible for calling the dog off. Depending on the situation, the dog may be used to search, track, hold someone in place, or force a surrender. A bite is often described as a control tactic, but it can still cause deep wounds, nerve damage, infection, and lasting trauma.
For members of the public, the safest response during any armed police encounter is usually simple: do not run, keep your hands visible, avoid sudden movements, and follow clear instructions one at a time. Do not try to push a dog away unless you have no choice to protect yourself, because sudden resistance can make the situation more chaotic. If commands are confusing, speaking calmly and saying you are trying to comply may help.
What to do after a dog bite or force incident
Any dog bite should be treated as a medical issue first. Clean the wound if you can, seek urgent medical care, and watch for bleeding, swelling, numbness, fever, or increasing pain. Even small punctures can become infected or hide deeper damage.
It is also sensible to record what happened as soon as you are safe. Photograph injuries, keep torn clothing, write down the sequence of events while it is fresh, and ask how to obtain official records if available. If you believe force was excessive or you were injured during a police encounter, you can usually make a complaint through the relevant police oversight process and get legal advice about your options. Rules and procedures vary by place, so local guidance matters.
