A Henderson homeowner says a nearly two-day police standoff turned his quiet townhome into something closer to a demolition site than a crime scene, and now he is asking a judge to make the city pay to put it all back together.
In a recently filed lawsuit, homeowner Aaron Baca claims an April 2024 SWAT operation left his unit so damaged it was “structurally uninhabitable,” forcing him out and stripping the place down to its bones. He is seeking money to rebuild the home, replace his belongings and cover monthly costs while he cannot live there.
The 16-page complaint says Henderson police flooded the interior with chemical agents, brought in an excavator to rip through walls, knocked out a second-story exterior wall and compromised the roof, leaving the townhome gutted. The filing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, seeks nearly $420,000 for real-property repair and rebuilding, about $86,500 to replace personal property and $2,650 per month for loss of use.
How The Standoff Unfolded
Henderson officers went to the 200 block of Callen Falls Avenue on April 12 to arrest 31-year-old Trevor Cooper, who was wanted on violent felony allegations, and the encounter turned into a standoff that stretched into the weekend. Officers ultimately found Cooper dead inside the home, and authorities recovered multiple firearms at the scene, according to KTNV. Earlier reporting said Cooper faced charges including first-degree kidnapping and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.
Damage, Neighbors And The Aftermath
Neighbors told local TV crews the townhome stayed an eyesore for months after the barricade, with its insides exposed and the damage plainly visible. The McAuley homeowners association said it was working with insurers and legal counsel, Fox5 reported.
The lawsuit says officers refused to use a garage key fob that was available, chose instead to forcibly breach the garage door, and then used so many CS gas canisters that they exhausted the department’s supply and had to request more from out-of-state agencies.
Legal Claims And Damages
Baca’s suit argues the raid violated his rights under the U.S. and Nevada constitutions, including due process protections and safeguards against unreasonable seizure, and claims the department failed to properly train its officers for such operations. The complaint names attorney Jared Richards as Baca’s counsel and asks the court to award reconstruction costs along with monthly payments while he is displaced, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
What Officials Say And What’s Next
The investigation into the April 2024 barricade is still open, and authorities have not yet released a final public accounting of every tactic used during the operation, KTNV reported. The lawsuit is pending and will move through the civil courts, and so far no court hearing date has been published.
