A control judge in Tijuana formally linked two former municipal police officers to charges of torture, sexual assault, and homicide stemming from an illegal raid in Playas de Tijuana nearly four years ago. The judge ordered both suspects held in preventive detention pending trial.
Deadly Raid at Playas de Tijuana Casino on April 27, 2022
The two officers served in Tijuana’s K9 Canine Unit. On April 27, 2022, they joined two other individuals in raiding a clandestine internet café and casino in the Monumental zone of Playas de Tijuana, a coastal neighborhood about 20 minutes south of the San Ysidro border crossing.
During the unauthorized operation, officers robbed the establishment at gunpoint. One of the officers sexually assaulted the victim, Carlos Damasio, with a broomstick. Damasio was hospitalized after the attack and developed necrotizing fasciitis, a severe bacterial infection caused by the injuries he sustained.
Damasio also attempted suicide while hospitalized. He died weeks later from the infection. The charges against the two officers include aggravated torture by rape, armed robbery, abuse of authority, and qualified homicide with premeditation.
Judge Orders Preventive Detention, Questions Police Culture
The judge found sufficient evidence of probable guilt on all counts. In the ruling, the judge questioned how fellow officers present at the scene could have stood by without intervening to stop the assault. The court’s language was direct, asking how anyone “in their right mind” could permit such acts.
The case took roughly four years to reach this stage. The original crimes occurred in April 2022, but the formal judicial proceedings against the two officers only began in March 2026. The delay is consistent with broader patterns in Baja California’s criminal justice system, where investigations involving police officers often stall or face internal resistance.
Tijuana’s municipal police force has faced repeated accusations of abuse and corruption over the past decade. In 2015, a separate case drew attention when officers tortured an innocent man and fabricated homicide charges against him. That case, too, took years to resolve in court.
The two accused officers remain in custody. The next phase of the case will move into a full criminal trial, where prosecutors must present their evidence before a tribunal. The original reporting on the judge’s ruling was published by Punto Norte on March 18, according to Punto Norte.