DEA Forget about a prisoner, for 4 days - He sues them for $20Million

[Reece]

Adult Filmmakers get Legal Smackdown!

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. "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. His attorneys filed a $20m claim Wednesday against the drug enforcement administration, saying his treatment constitutes torture under US and international law. The five-page notice, a required precursor to a lawsuit, was sent to the DEA's chief counsel in Washington. The $20m 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 senator 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 Wally Ghurabi, a doctor 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. 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.

Woops.

[Exterminator]

Drinking it? Hes serious?

He does know that drinking it doesnt help at all, since its used to flush out bad stuff, coming it filled with bad stuff will cause it to just go out instantly..

[Oliver]

Drinking it? Hes serious?

He does know that drinking it doesnt help at all, since its used to flush out bad stuff, coming it filled with bad stuff will cause it to just go out instantly..

Your urine is sterile and consists of water. That "bad stuff" has been in your organism before and your body can still use the water in the urine. While it definitely doesn't taste good, he was smart to drink it to survive.
Would you rather die or drink a bit of piss?

Awful for such a thing to have happened, though. I hope the agents responsible get hit hard.

[Dolfagr]

Your urine is sterile and consists of water. That "bad stuff" has been in your organism before and your body can still use the water in the urine. While it definitely doesn't taste good, he was smart to drink it to survive.
Would you rather die or drink a bit of piss?

Awful for such a thing to have happened, though. I hope the agents responsible get hit hard.

If everyone drank urine, it would surely taste better than some vegetables. As it has a bad reputation, it surely doesn't sound tasty to others :P


How can they forget about him at all? Don't they make notes, what the hell is DEA's organization level anyway?

[[NP]Monte Montague]

Unfortuantly the United States of America is a place of great immorality and cases of abuse.
This is true in its invading forces. This is true in its at home "policing" and justice forces.

Awful for such a thing to have happened, though. I hope the agents responsible get hit hard.

Why stop there?
The leader of the DEA should be accountabile.

[Jack Rosso]

I understand this guy should get money for this, but 20 million? No way.

Give this guy 1 million and he will have a great life.

[Exterminator]

If everyone drank urine, it would surely taste better than some vegetables. As it has a bad reputation, it surely doesn't sound tasty to others :P


How can they forget about him at all? Don't they make notes, what the hell is DEA's organization level anyway?

You really think they will make a solid room with no windows? and magically have some drugs appear in there?

I think it was some kind of a secret test, they suspected him but didnt have anything on him, so they faked to leave him while they observed his reaction to the drugs, if he knew how to use em then he probably was a drugger.
But they probably forgot him in there after that, probably intended the test for some hours at max

[Dolfagr]

I understand this guy should get money for this, but 20 million? No way.

Give this guy 1 million and he will have a great life.

True, he will become a drug lord with a 20m budget to spend on drugs, lol.

You really think they will make a solid room with no windows? and magically have some drugs appear in there?

I think it was some kind of a secret test, they suspected him but didnt have anything on him, so they faked to leave him while they observed his reaction to the drugs, if he knew how to use em then he probably was a drugger.
But they probably forgot him in there after that, probably intended the test for some hours at max

I dont think so. I mean they can have toxicology examinations and see if there were any drugs on his organism anyway.

[Exterminator]

True, he will become a drug lord with a 20m budget to spend on drugs, lol.

I dont think so. I mean they can have toxicology examinations and see if there were any drugs on his organism anyway.

@dolfa - Why will they do that to every single suspect? most of them will prove to not, and their rep will be killed.

This way they store people who have high suspection rates, and lock em in for a few hours, they forgot about the guy after that tho.

[Dolfagr]

@dolfa - Why will they do that to every single suspect? most of them will prove to not, and their rep will be killed.

That's a basic procedure for all policing services as far as I know in US. Except if the agents were corrupt and were trying to shake him. Still what else I find strange is that he did not have a lawyer present when he was taken into custody.

[Matt Murdock]

$20 million US Dollars.

4 days of torture and get everything for the rest of the life. Now, Who wouldn't want that?  :rules:

[Mikal]

$20 million US Dollars.

4 days of torture and get everything for the rest of the life. Now, Who wouldn't want that?  :rules:

DEA come get me please! I buy cigarettes from the shops for kids!  :cool:

Seriously though this is just pathetic, first they jail a guy for 7 years after he ran over a womens foot and now they leave a guy for 4 days in a cell with no food or water?

[Matt Murdock]

DEA come get me please! I buy cigarettes from the shops for kids!  :cool:

Seriously though this is just pathetic, first they jail a guy for 7 years after he ran over a womens foot and now they leave a guy for 4 days in a cell with no food or water?

Man, I'd actually enjoy the 4 days, I'll just eat air or sleep all the fuckin time. But really , 20 million! Buy a house worth a million in NY, Spend 4 million on cars and every shit you can imagine, women come free! And invest 15 million in some business. Who needs a university degree! 

[Mikal]

Man, I'd actually enjoy the 4 days, I'll just eat air or sleep all the f**kin time. But really , 20 million! Buy a house worth a million in NY, Spend 4 million on cars and every shit you can imagine, women come free! And invest 15 million in some business. Who needs a university degree! 

New York? F**k that, L.A. baby.  :cool:

[Matt Murdock]

New York? F**k that, L.A. baby.  :cool:

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near Vegas. Or the 15 million won't last for even 3 days. So If I got that much money, I'd rather live on an island in the caribbean Sea then the L.A. Also New York is more peaceful and has less HIV positive women than L.A.  :devroll:

The gist is, If I ever got that much money all of a sudden, like via lotto or court case. My aim will be to retire than going on an adventure. However If I gathered that much by earning it myself, I'd like to keep going until I turn 40 years old.  :devroll: