By Brandon Cottrell
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Daniel Chong, who was abandoned in his San Diego, California holding cell for four days, reached a $4.1 million settlement with the United States government on Tuesday.

In April 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration took Chong, a then 23-year-old college student, into custody as a result of a drug raid.  The DEA raided the residence of one of Chong’s friends and seized ecstasy, marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and other prescription medication.

After questioning, the Drug Enforcement Administration determined that no charges would be pressed against Chong.  As Chong sat in handcuffs, waiting to be released from his windowless, five by ten foot cell, he was forgotten about.  While it is uncertain as to how Chong was forgotten about, it took the DEA four and a half days to discover Chong.

Chong meanwhile, waited without food or water.  Over those four days, Chong attempted to draw attention to his cell by screaming and kicking.  Chong even slid his shoelaces under the door and attempted to set off the fire sprinkler in his cell.  After the third day, Chong began to hallucinate and, with the possibility of death looming, attempted to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.  Furthermore, confronting dehydration, Chong drank his own urine off a metal bench in his cell.

After being found, Chong had to be hospitalized for five days for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He lost 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) in the ordeal.

While the DEA has yet to discipline any employees, it did issue a public apology.  Meanwhile, United States Senator Charles Grassley of the Judiciary Committee, called on the DEA to explain the incident.

Specifically, Grassley asked, “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?”

Some of those questions remain unanswered, but the DEA has since introduced new national detention standards, such as daily inspections and camera monitoring of cells, in an effort to ensure that a similar incident will never occur again.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC  – US man ‘abandoned’ in US jail gets $4m in compensation  –  31 July 2013

Huffington Post – Daniel Chong, Student Left In DEA Cell, To Get $4 Million From US In Settlement  –  30 July 2013

Wall Street Journal – Daniel Chong, Abandoned in Cell, to Get $4 Million  –  30 July 2013

BBC – US man left in cell for five days ‘drank own urine’  –  2 May 2012