Student left in DEA cell to get $4 million from US

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Jan 13, 2013
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 25-year old college student has reached a $4.1 million settlement with the federal government after he was abandoned in a windowless Drug Enforcement Administration cell for more than four days without food or water, his attorneys said Tuesday.

The DEA introduced national detention standards as a result of the ordeal involving Daniel Chong, including daily inspections and a requirement for cameras in cells, said Julia Yoo, one of his lawyers.

Chong said he drank his own urine to stay alive, hallucinated that agents were trying to poison him with gases through the vents, and tried to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.

It remained unclear how the situation occurred, and no one has been disciplined, said Eugene Iredale, another attorney for Chong. The Justice Department's inspector general is investigating.

"It sounded like it was an accident — a really, really bad, horrible accident," Chong said.

Chong was taken into custody during a drug raid and placed in the cell in April 2012 by a San Diego police officer authorized to perform DEA work on a task force. The officer told Chong he would not be charged and said, "Hang tight, we'll come get you in a minute," Iredale said.

The door to the 5-by-10-foot cell did not reopen for 4 1/2 days.

Justice Department spokeswoman Allison Price confirmed the settlement was reached for $4.1 million but declined to answer other questions. The DEA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Detective Gary Hassen, a San Diego police spokesman, referred questions to the DEA.

Since attorney fees are capped at 20 percent of damages and the settlement payment is tax-free, Chong will collect at least $3.2 million, Iredale said. Chong, now an economics student at the University of California, San Diego, said he planned to buy his parents a house.

Chong was a 23-year-old engineering student when he was at a friend's house where the DEA found 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Iredale acknowledged Chong was there to consume marijuana.

Chong and eight other people were taken into custody, but authorities decided against pursing charges against him after questioning.

Chong said he began to hallucinate on the third day in the cell. He urinated on a metal bench so he could have something to drink. He also stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on a bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, futilely swatting at it with his cuffed hands to set it off.

Chong said he accepted the possibility of death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them and used a shard of glass to try to carve "Sorry Mom" onto his arm so he could leave something for her. He only managed to finish an "S."

Chong said he slid a shoelace under the door and screamed to get attention before five or six people found him covered in his feces in the cell at the DEA's San Diego headquarters.

"All I wanted was my sanity," Chong said. "I wasn't making any sense."

Chong was hospitalized for five days for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He lost 15 pounds.

The DEA issued a rare public apology at the time.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, on Tuesday renewed his call for the DEA to explain the incident.

"How did this incident happen? Has there been any disciplinary action against the responsible employees? And has the agency taken major steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again?" he said.

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http://news.yahoo.com/student-left-dea-cell-4-million-us-170408624.html

im glad the kid got paid.
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. too bad none of the DEA agents were disciplined for effing up.
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holy s****

DEA was probably trippin off that X for 3 days and forgot about his ***....
 
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 For four days, not bad of a come up, but no water. You need at least water. 
 
Used to kick it with dude at UCSD when I went there. He lived in he dorm next door.

Sucks that it happened but he cakin now.
 
holy s****

DEA was probably trippin off that X for 3 days and forgot about his ***....
LMAO

but on a srs note, i have a feeling he knew he had a case on his hands

why would his own dooky be all over him????

carving his arm doe? and only finished an S

the pee thing makes sense, but it aint that srs

all in all, leave me in a cell for 4.5 days with nothing but the clothes on my back and give me 3.2Ms
 
I need to get locked up and forgot about for a couple days.
 
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LMAO

but on a srs note, i have a feeling he knew he had a case on his hands

why would his own dooky be all over him????

carving his arm doe? and only finished an S

the pee thing makes sense, but it aint that srs

all in all, leave me in a cell for 4.5 days with nothing but the clothes on my back and give me 3.2Ms

I imagine that 4 days feels like a damn week if you're cooped up with absolutely nothing to eat or drink
 
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LMAO

but on a srs note, i have a feeling he knew he had a case on his hands

why would his own dooky be all over him????

carving his arm doe? and only finished an S

the pee thing makes sense, but it aint that srs

all in all, leave me in a cell for 4.5 days with nothing but the clothes on my back and give me 3.2Ms
I imagine that 4 days feels like a damn week if you're cooped up with absolutely nothing to eat or drink
thats not the point

the point is that this clown had his own feces all over him, why would he do that????

and carving his arm?? too dramatic man
 
Some of yall are so damn greedy. I'm sure there are people who go through this in third world countries. No you wanna give him a billion dollars in this economy
 
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