s***d
发帖数: 15421 | 1 UCSD Student Left In Cell Seeks $20 Million In Compensation
Thursday, May 3, 2012
By Julie Watson, Associated Press
After two days of being handcuffed in a tiny holding cell and desperate for
food and water, Daniel Chong said he realized he had to stop wondering when
he'd be let out and start thinking about how to stay alive.
Entering what he called "survival mode," and already drinking his own urine,
he futilely tried to trigger an overhead fire sprinkler for some water,
stacking clothes and a blanket and swinging his cuffed arms in an attempt to
set it off.
Chong, 23, a student at the University of California, San Diego, had been
picked up in a drug sweep but was never arrested or charged.
He spent four days forgotten in the windowless cell before Drug Enforcement
Administration agents opened the door.
"I just couldn't believe that this was legal," Chong said in an interview
Wednesday with the Associated Press. "I'm thinking `no way.'"
After his release, he spent five days in the hospital for dehydration,
kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He had lost 15 pounds (6.
8 kilograms).
His attorneys filed a $20 million ((EURO)15 million) claim Wednesday against
the Drug Enforcement Administration, saying his treatment constitutes
torture under U.S. and international law.
The five-page notice, a required precursor to a lawsuit, was sent to the DEA
's chief counsel in Washington. The $20 million figure refers to the maximum
Chong and his lawyers would seek.
The top DEA agent in San Diego, William R. Sherman, said in a news release
that he was "deeply troubled" by what happened to Chong.
Sherman said he has personally ordered an extensive review of his office's
policies and procedures. The agency declined to say what those were.
Chong said no one has contacted him personally to apologize.
The incident stands out as one of the worst cases of its kind, said Thomas
Beauclair, deputy director of the National Corrections Institute, a federal
agency that provides training and technical assistance to corrections
agencies.
"That is pretty much unheard of," he said, noting that, in his 40-year
career, he has heard of instances where people were forgotten overnight but
not for days.
A federal law enforcement official familiar with DEA operations said the
agency's protocols require that cells be checked each night. The official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss
the matter, said the cell where Chong was held is not intended for
overnight stays because it does not have a toilet.
Federal lawmakers are demanding a thorough investigation. Democratic Sen.
Barbara Boxer sent a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder.
"Please provide me with the results and the actions the department will take
to make sure those responsible are held accountable and that no one in DEA
custody will ever again be forced to endure such treatment," the letter
stated.
Chong told the AP that he went to his friend's house April 20 to get high,
part of a national, annual countercultural ritual.
Chong slept there that night and, the next morning, agents stormed into the
house. The raid netted 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Nine
people, including Chong, were taken into custody, according to the DEA.
Chong was questioned then agents told him he was not a suspect and would be
released shortly. He signed some paperwork, was put in handcuffs and sent
back to the holding cell.
As the hours dragged into days, he said he kicked and screamed as loud as he
could. At one point, he ripped a piece of his jacket off with his teeth and
shoved it under the door, hoping someone would spot it and free him.
Chong said he ingested a white powder that he found in the cell. Agents
later identified it as methamphetamine. Chong said he ingested it to survive.
The next day, hallucinations started, he said. They included Japanese
animation characters who told him to dig into the walls to search for water,
which he tried, tearing apart the wall's plastic lining.
People can die from dehydration in as little as three to seven days, said Dr
. Wally Ghurabi at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.
Ghurabi said Chong was wise to drink his own urine to stay hydrated.
As the days dragged on, Chong said he accepted that he would die. He
considered taking his own life rather than withering away by dehydration.
"I thought `wow, this was a terrible way to go,'" Chong said. "I just wanted
to have a little bit of dignity."
He sat in the dark, his hallucinations deepening, his breath getting shorter
and shorter, even the urine running out, and he screamed for the agents to
at least let him have a quick death.
"That's when the lights turned on and the agents opened the door with very
confused looks on their faces," Chong said. "They said, `Who are you? Where'
d you come from?'"
Chong was not going to be charged with a crime and should have been released
, said a law enforcement official who was briefed on the DEA case and spoke
on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak about
the ongoing investigation.
Chong said he has no criminal record.
U-T San Diego was the first to report the ordeal.
Doctors said Chong's wounds should heal, but he said he still breaks down in
tears.
"I'm very glad they found me," he said. | g*****c
发帖数: 4378 | | c***s
发帖数: 4895 | 3 加州本来就要破产，这2000万要是一赔，条子又要加班上路开罚单了 | s***d
发帖数: 15421 | 4 eda是federal agent 不从加州预算
★ 发自iPhone App: ChineseWeb - 中文网站浏览器
【在 c***s 的大作中提到】
: 加州本来就要破产，这2000万要是一赔，条子又要加班上路开罚单了
| Q*****n
发帖数: 4546 | | c****0
发帖数: 993 | 6 20million换你四天不吃不喝干不干？好像也不错 | m**********n
发帖数: 27535 | 7 不喝尿活不下去吧
【在 c****0 的大作中提到】
: 20million换你四天不吃不喝干不干？好像也不错
| k**0
发帖数: 19737 | 8 没水死定了
【在 m**********n 的大作中提到】
: 不喝尿活不下去吧
| m**********n
发帖数: 27535 | 9 不过他大难不死，先苦后甜啊，几百万刀跑不掉了吧
【在 k**0 的大作中提到】
: 没水死定了
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