Student Left in Cell 5 Days W/O Food or Water by DEA

In summary: This young man wasn't even charged with a crime and yet suffered excruciating agony over four days and nearly died at the hands of the these monumentally incompetent and derelict government employees.In summary,The young man, Daniel Chong, says that he was held in a cell for five days without food or water, and then forced to drink his own urine. He alleges that agents questioned him and then told him he could go home. However, he did not go home that night, and instead was placed in a cell for five days without human contact and was not given food or drink. Chong says that he hallucinated by the third day, and was completely insane by the end. The government has said that Chong's claims are false
  • #1
zoobyshoe
6,510
1,290
Horrendous:

He said agents questioned him, and then told him he could go home. One agent even offered him a ride, Chong said. No criminal charges were filed against him.

But Chong did not go home that night. Instead, he was placed in a cell for five days without any human contact and was not given food or drink. In his desperation, he said he was forced to drink his own urine.

“I had to do what I had to do to survive….I hallucinated by the third day,” Chong said. “I was completely insane.”


Source: DEA Ignored All My Cries: Student | NBC San Diego

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/daniel-chong-ucsd-san-diego-dea-149758275.html
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
He is suing and will likely win. Hopefully a huge sum too. Good.
 
  • #3
gravenewworld said:
He is suing and will likely win. Hopefully a huge sum too. Good.

Yes, and the taxpayer will pay. In any remotely fair system, the individuals directly responsible for this atrocity would be sued directly in addition to the government. Moreover, they should be criminally prosecuted for gross dereliction of duty.
 
  • #4
SW VandeCarr said:
Yes, and the taxpayer will pay. In any remotely fair system, the individuals directly responsible for this atrocity would be sued directly in addition to the government. Moreover, they should be criminally prosecuted for gross dereliction of duty.
Totally agree. The government should pay some because they are ultimately responsible, the individuals involved should pay some because they are immediately responsible and said individuals should face criminal charges for grevious bodily harm, kidnapping etc.
 
  • #5
How is that even possible? When they're bringing around food and drinks, like three times a day, it's not out of the ordinary to deny a prisoner of this basic need? Or to take the prisoner out to the recreation area once a day? And, was there no toilet in the cell? Unbelievable..
 
  • #6
gravenewworld said:
He is suing and will likely win. Hopefully a huge sum too. Good.
Maybe they should give him free drugs for life. :devil:
 
  • #7
It sounds like it may have been a mistake. Like whoever knew he was there, thought he was going to be taken care of by someone else, or something like that. I don't know why anyone would purposely do that.
 
  • #8
leroyjenkens said:
It sounds like it may have been a mistake. Like whoever knew he was there, thought he was going to be taken care of by someone else, or something like that. I don't know why anyone would purposely do that.

I don't think anyone believes it was deliberate. But such negligence is beyond the pale. Nothing can excuse it. We have laws that guarantee humane treatment to convicted criminals of the worst kind. We have laws about the treatment of animals. This young man wasn't even charged with a crime and yet suffered excruciating agony over four days and nearly died at the hands of the these monumentally incompetent and derelict government employees.
 
Last edited:
  • #9
SW VandeCarr said:
In any remotely fair system, the individuals directly responsible for this atrocity would be sued directly in addition to the government.

That is usually pointless if you are looking for a large payout. People can only pay what they have, and presumably the individuals directly involved were fairly low-grade employees so they are unlikely to have much.

Moreover, they should be criminally prosecuted for gross dereliction of duty.
Agreed. Unlike a civil case (i.e. suing them personally for damages), criminal courts are not limited to financial punishments.
 
  • #10
SW VandeCarr said:
I don't think anyone believes it was deliberate. But such negligence is beyond the Pale. Nothing can excuse it. We have laws that guarantee humane treatment to convicted criminals of the worst kind. We have laws about the treatment of animals. Yet this young man wasn't even charged with a crime and yet suffered excruciating agony over four days and nearly died at the hands of the these monumentally incompetent and derelict government employees.

Oh, I thought some people thought it was deliberate. Well, in that case, yes, I completely agree with what you said. There's no excuse for it, and he deserves to be compensated with at least a large sum of money. There also needs to be quite a few people losing their jobs and serving some jail time, along with having to pay money to this guy.
 
  • #11
AlephZero said:
That is usually pointless if you are looking for a large payout. People can only pay what they have, and presumably the individuals directly involved were fairly low-grade employees so they are unlikely to have much.

That's why I said "..in addition to the government." The taxpayers are going to pay as usual. Nevertheless, those involved should pay what they can. Federal employees are well paid for what they do.
 
Last edited:
  • #12
Hopefully he wins millions. That must have been scary..
 
  • #13
If his allegations are correct, in addition to the lawsuit the officials involved should be incarcerated for life. If I were not so adamantly opposed to the death penalty, I would say that they should be fried in their own fat.
 
  • #14
Wow, talk about being careless. The guy's life is scarred because those guys just forgot about him. Most likely they will be fired if anything, but not suprisingly I imagine that it will be a lot worse.
 
  • #15
Hopefully, the young man will never go near drug dealers and try to get high. Might as well, all other young people who read this story.
 
  • #16
rootX said:
Hopefully, the young man will never go near drug dealers and try to get high.

I'd be more worried about going near the DEA! :biggrin:

He said he is going to quit school due to his new perspective on life. My guess is that he won't be needing an education now.
 
  • #17
dlgoff said:
Maybe they should give him free drugs for life. :devil:

?Even if he was doing lines of coke he still didn't deserve to be dehydrated to death. Not even murders are sentenced to death in many cases.
 
  • #18
Ivan Seeking said:
I'd be more worried about going near the DEA! :biggrin:

He said he is going to quit school due to his new perspective on life. My guess is that he won't be needing an education now.

:rofl:
 
  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
I'd be more worried about going near the DEA! :biggrin:

He said he is going to quit school due to his new perspective on life. My guess is that he won't be needing an education now.

His past is being unveiled. :biggrin: He is not smart, if he was, he wouldn't have been imprisoned for 5 days without such life necessities.
 
  • #20
phylotree said:
His past is being unveiled. :biggrin: He is not smart, if he was, he wouldn't have been imprisoned for 5 days without such life necessities.

I don't understand your logic >.>
 
  • #21
phylotree said:
His past is being unveiled. :biggrin: He is not smart, if he was, he wouldn't have been imprisoned for 5 days without such life necessities.
'No, no!' said the Queen. Punishment first - trial afterwards.'
 
  • #22
gravenewworld said:
?


Even if he was doing lines of coke he still didn't deserve to be dehydrated to death. Not even murders are sentenced to death in many cases.

Maybe I shouldn't have used the :devil:. I totally agree with you. Give him anything he wants.
 

What happened to the student left in Cell 5?

The student was accidentally left in the cell by DEA agents for 5 days without food or water. This incident occurred during a drug raid where the student was mistaken for a suspect.

What kind of physical and mental effects can occur after being left in a cell without food or water for 5 days?

Being deprived of food and water for 5 days can have severe physical and mental effects on the body. These may include dehydration, malnutrition, weakness, confusion, and even organ failure.

What actions were taken by the DEA and other authorities after the incident?

The DEA conducted an internal investigation and released a statement apologizing for the mistake and promising to review their procedures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. The student also received a settlement from the DEA for the trauma and damages caused.

How can incidents like this be prevented in the future?

To prevent similar incidents, it is important for law enforcement agencies to have clear procedures in place for handling suspects and to properly identify individuals before detaining them. Regular training and oversight can also help prevent mistakes from happening.

What are the legal implications for the DEA and the officers involved in this incident?

The DEA and the officers involved could potentially face legal consequences for their actions, such as charges for negligence or violations of the student's civil rights. The settlement with the student also reflects the accountability of the DEA for their mistake.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • General Discussion
Replies
1
Views
8K
Back
Top