A Boulder teenager who was tackled and detained by police after officers mistook him for a bank robbery suspect is suing two officers, alleging wrongful arrest and excessive force in a complaint filed July 22 in Boulder County District Court.
Galileo Wise, then 17, was riding his bike through a tunnel near Broadway and College Avenue on his way to a haircut on June 5, 2025, when Boulder police officers pulled him to the ground, handcuffed him and patted him down, according to the complaint and body camera footage of the incident.
Police were searching for a suspect in a bank robbery at a U.S. Bank branch on the 29th Street Mall, according to the complaint. The suspect was described as tan-skinned and wearing a green shirt and glasses, according to the body camera footage shared by Wise’s legal representatives. Wise, who is white, wore a tan sweatshirt and teal pants and does not resemble the suspect, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims that an officer gave Wise false information to justify the stop, including claiming that Wise matched the suspect’s description.
Wise, who was wearing a helmet, suffered a concussion and was later diagnosed with acute stress disorder, the lawsuit states. Officers also cut off Wise’s backpack while patting him down.
The lawsuit alleges the officers violated Wise’s rights under the Colorado Constitution by subjecting him to wrongful arrest and excessive force. Wise is seeking compensatory damages and an order requiring the officers to undergo training “regarding honesty in dealing with the public and safe methods to detain someone on a bicycle,” the complaint states.
“This lawsuit seeks to hold the Boulder Police Department responsible both for the injuries caused by their overzealous officers pouncing on someone simply for wearing something ‘greenish,’ and for lying about it after the fact,” Dan Williams, a local civil rights attorney representing Wise, said in a statement.
“The City of Boulder does not comment on pending litigation,” Sarah Huntley, a spokesperson for the city, said in a statement. “We will review the allegations in the complaint and share our response in court filings and any hearings on this matter.”
Before filing the lawsuit, Wise’s father filed a complaint against the two officers with the Boulder Police Department. The department’s Professional Standards Unit investigated the complaint, and the city’s independent police monitor reviewed the findings, according to records shared with Boulder Reporting Lab.
Police Chief Steve Redfearn exonerated Officer Austin Myers or determined that the allegations were unfounded in all four cases against him, including the allegation that Myers used excessive force in taking Wise down, according to a letter summarizing the investigation. Redfearn sustained one allegation against Sgt. Steven Faber, finding that Faber wrongfully extended Wise’s detention after reasonable suspicion had dissipated. The case was referred to a deputy chief for discipline or corrective action.
