Suit Settled: White Reno Cops Turned Dog Loose on Latino Man Kneeling Down with His Hands on His Head

From [HERE] A Latino man who was mauled by a police dog after surrendering during a police chase with white cops has settled his excessive force lawsuit against two Washoe County deputies for $17,500.

Eugenio Corona sued the two deputies in July, claiming they used excessive force and violated his civil rights by siccing a K-9 on him as he knelt on the pavement with his hands held on his head. 

With unusual swiftness, Washoe County offered to settle the case for $17,500 in an effort to control litigation costs. But Washoe County Sheriff's deputies Jason Wood and deputies Francisco Gamboa did not admit liability, nor did they admit Corona suffered any damages from the attack.

"We thought it was saving taxpayer dollars to settle it for the amount we did rather than go through to trial," said Deputy District Attorney Keith Munro. "We thought the officers would be vindicated, but it would cost considerably more to have them vindicated."

Corona sued the deputies individually and did not sue Washoe County. But because the deputies were sued for something that happened while they were working, the county paid for their defense and will pay the settlement amount to Corona.

Corona's lawyer Terri Keyser-Cooper, who has built a practice on bringing civil rights lawsuits against police agencies in Northern Nevada, said it's unusual for an agency to offer to settle so quickly.

"It is very unusual for law enforcement defendants to make a substantial offer of judgment in the infancy of the case," she said. "In 32 years of practicing civil rights law I have never seen that before."

She argued the settlement offer came so quickly because video from the deputies dash cameras clearly show Corona had surrendered the chase before he was attacked by the police dog.

"It is unconstitutional to use more force than is necessary in a given situation," Keyser-Cooper said. "When a suspect surrenders, on the ground, kneeling, with hands above his head and a vicious attack dog is then unleashed to maul him, that is horrendous.

"That is why they paid so quickly."

The lawsuit stemmed from a police chase in January when the deputies, working with federal marshals, attempted to arrest Corona on a federal warrant. Dash camera footage shows Corona sped away from deputies when they attempted to pull him over on McCarran Boulevard.

Corona led the deputies on a high-speed chase down Wedekind Road, running through stop lights, nearly causing several collisions and speeding past two schools busses full of children. At one point, deputies said Corona fired a handgun out the window of his truck.

Corona eventually crashed his truck into a fence on Montello Street. He jumped out and began to run, but when deputies rounded the corner, he stopped, kneeled down and put his hands on his head in a "surrender position."

As he knelt on the ground, Wood unleashed his police dog Rony on Corona, telling him to "get that bad guy." Rony bit Corona on the shoulder and torso, locking onto his shoulder as he writhed on the ground.

As Gamboa worked to put Corona in handcuffs, Corona grabbed his hand, prompting Gamboa to punch Corona in the face. The deputies ultimately secured Corona and took him to the hospital for treatment of his wounds.

Corona remains at the Washoe County Jail while he faces trial on charges he violated his probation by possessing a gun and methamphetamine.