Denver federal lawsuit claims police let K-9 attack handcuffed man

By Ben Warwick

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    DENVER (KCNC) — A lawsuit filed in Denver’s federal court alleges that Castle Rock police allowed a K-9 to bite the groin of a handcuffed man sitting on a curb during a stolen car investigation.

The suit claims that on May 27, 2021, two Castle Rock police officers were searching for suspects in a stolen car case. One of those officers, Joseph Gondeck, had a K-9 assigned to him. Gondeck had his K-9, Maverick, sniff the car to search for suspects by scent. Officers located two Hispanic men about a mile from the abandoned car and held them at gunpoint. Gondeck and another Castle Rock officer arrested Carlos Gonzales Del Hoyo and placed him on the curb with his hands bound behind his back.

The suit claims Del Hoyo did not resist arrest, then claims the officer released Maverick from his car. The dog went straight for Del Hoyo, specifically targeting his groin. According to the lawsuit, Gondeck did not command Maverick to stand down.

Maverick then allegedly bit down on Del Hoyo’s groin, and continued uninterrupted for two minutes.

The suit claims Gondeck tried to remove the dog only after two verbal commands did not result in the dog releasing his bite. It also claims other CRPD officers stood by and did not attempt to aid Del Hoyo.

The suit lists two counts of excessive force and two counts of state-created danger. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday.

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