San Diego college student forgotten in cell for five days

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**ShumaGorath**

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/san-diego-college-student-left-in-cell-says-he-drank-his-urine.html

A San Diego college student who was forgotten by federal drug agents and left in a holding cell for five days without food or water or access to a toilet says he drank his own urine to survive.

The man, identified by news outlets as 23-year-old UC San Diego engineering student Daniel Chong, was detained for questioning along with eight other people during an April 21 raid in which agents seized guns, ammunition and various drugs, according to the DEA.

The suspects were taken to the DEA's San Diego-area headquarters in Kearny Mesa, Fox5 San Diego reported. While being processed, they were moved around the five cells at the facility, according to the agency's statement.

Each was questioned in separate interview rooms and frequently moved around between rooms and cells.

"Seven suspects were brought to county [jail] after processing, one was released, and [Chong] was accidentally left in one of the cells,'' the DEA statement reads.
Despite Chong's shouts and his pounding and kicking on doors and walls in the holding cell, agents failed to realize they had forgotten about him until five days later, Chong told NBC San Diego.

He said he had to drink his own urine to stay alive, eventually began hallucinating and at one point tried to kill himself by breaking his glasses and using glass shards to cut his wrists.

Medics took Chong to a hospital, where he was admitted to an intensive-care unit and kept under physicians' care for several days, he said. Medical staffers told him he had nearly died of kidney failure, he told the station.

The Drug Enforcement Administration offered no explanation for how agents could have lost track of Chong and failed to hear his cries for help.

"DEA plans to thoroughly review both the events and detention procedures on April 21st and after,'' according to the prepared statement about the case.

Can't wait to see the backflips Kan does to justify this one!

video embed is failing, just go to the site for video

**MrDwhitey**

Surely the closest to even trying to think about justifying that would come to "We can't know for certain until the DEA office comments, the kid may be lying, but if it's true it's utterly reprehensible.".

I mean, sure you could explain -how- it happened, or try make the kid look bad by focusing on the drugs, but you cannot justify what is alledged to have happened in any way at all. At least without being utterly fething wrong.

**Frazzled**

ShumaGorath wrote:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/san-diego-college-student-left-in-cell-says-he-drank-his-urine.html

A San Diego college student who was forgotten by federal drug agents and left in a holding cell for five days without food or water or access to a toilet says he drank his own urine to survive.

The man, identified by news outlets as 23-year-old UC San Diego engineering student Daniel Chong, was detained for questioning along with eight other people during an April 21 raid in which agents seized guns, ammunition and various drugs, according to the DEA.

The suspects were taken to the DEA's San Diego-area headquarters in Kearny Mesa, Fox5 San Diego reported. While being processed, they were moved around the five cells at the facility, according to the agency's statement.

Each was questioned in separate interview rooms and frequently moved around between rooms and cells.

"Seven suspects were brought to county [jail] after processing, one was released, and [Chong] was accidentally left in one of the cells,'' the DEA statement reads.
Despite Chong's shouts and his pounding and kicking on doors and walls in the holding cell, agents failed to realize they had forgotten about him until five days later, Chong told NBC San Diego.

He said he had to drink his own urine to stay alive, eventually began hallucinating and at one point tried to kill himself by breaking his glasses and using glass shards to cut his wrists.

Medics took Chong to a hospital, where he was admitted to an intensive-care unit and kept under physicians' care for several days, he said. Medical staffers told him he had nearly died of kidney failure, he told the station.

The Drug Enforcement Administration offered no explanation for how agents could have lost track of Chong and failed to hear his cries for help.

"DEA plans to thoroughly review both the events and detention procedures on April 21st and after,'' according to the prepared statement about the case.

Can't wait to see the backflips Kan does to justify this one!

video embed is failing, just go to the site for video

Well that guy just retired.

Beers are on him.

**KingCracker**

Yea no gak, suddenly his friends are going to be a lot friendlier

For realz though, hope the lad is OK now, that would be pretty gakky dying in a jail cell that way

**SilverMK2**

Don't the DEA have guns?

Shoot first and don't bother asking questions!

Pft, America has gone soft...

**KingCracker**

What are you talking about? You lot would just talk their ears off with your fancy words and phrases

**Melissia**

Medical staffers told him he had nearly died of kidney failure, he told the station.

Yeah, that's a criminal negligence charge waiting to happen.

**mattyrm**

Theres no smoke without fire, I'm sure he is a douchebag anyway to be fair.

**SilverMK2**

KingCracker wrote:What are you talking about? You lot would just talk their ears off with your fancy words and phrases

That's why we are not allowed guns - can't blunt the edge of a deadly cutting wit or take the weight from behind crushing sentiments by allowing us weapons beyond words

**MeanGreenStompa**

Was he wearing a hoodie?

**kronk**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Was he wearing a hoodie?

Obviously not. He's still alive.

**HonorHarrington**

kronk wrote:
MeanGreenStompa wrote:Was he wearing a hoodie?

Obviously not. He's still alive.

Yes.

**SilverMK2**

Why is the man on the left a terror alert? I know the tie isn't that good, but I would not quite go that far

**Troy**

SilverMK2 wrote:Why is the man on the left a terror alert? I know the tie isn't that good, but I would not quite go that far

Its the flying yellow crawfish behind him.

**LoneLictor**

Wow, sucks for him. Those must've been some hella incompetent agents.

**Melissia**

mattyrm wrote:I'm sure he is a douchebag anyway to be fair.

Probably, but who's the bigger douche-- the guy who does drugs or the guy who puts someone in jail and then forgets about them for five days, until he finally realizes "hey, wasn't I supposed to have seven prisoners? there's only six here!"

**CT GAMER**

SilverMK2 wrote:
KingCracker wrote:What are you talking about? You lot would just talk their ears off with your fancy words and phrases

That's why we are not allowed guns - can't blunt the edge of a deadly cutting wit or take the weight from behind crushing sentiments by allowing us weapons beyond words

Too bad this kid wasnt British he could have chewed through the bars and escaped...

**Chongara**

Law Enforcement showing a gross lack of concern for people's rights? I'm shocked! It's just so surprising and unprecedented. I mean especially because they were enforcing drug laws. Of all our laws, the drug laws are the most reasonable and most clearly focused on keeping the public safe.

In fact I don't believe it. No way this actually happened. Even if the DEA did want to abuse it's power, it'd never risk doing so. It knows the courts are heavily stacked against taking law enforcement on it's word.

He's clearly just made this up to get that sweet, sweet guaranteed lawsuit money. Shameful.

**SilverMK2**

CT GAMER wrote:Too bad this kid wasnt British he could have chewed through the bars and escaped...

If he was British he would have been the one sitting in his volcano lair stroking a cat while his disposable minions were arrested.

**Clthomps**

I hope he makes millions on the laws suit.... then gets put in jail for the crimes he did.

**HonorHarrington**

Chongara wrote:Law Enforcement showing a gross lack of concern for people's rights? I'm shocked! It's just so surprising and unprecedented. I mean especially because they were enforcing drug laws. Of all our laws, the drug laws are the most reasonable and most clearly focused on keeping the public safe.

In fact I don't believe it. No way this actually happened. Even if the DEA did want to abuse it's power, it'd never risk doing so. It knows the courts are heavily stacked against taking law enforcement on it's word.

He's clearly just made this up to get that sweet, sweet guaranteed lawsuit money. Shameful.

Nevermind abuse of power, if the guy was a terrorist suspect how was he unmonitored for 5 days? Isn't that a massive breach of security?

**SilverMK2**

HonorHarrington wrote:Nevermind abuse of power, if the guy was a terrorist suspect how was he unmonitored for 5 days? Isn't that a massive breach of security?

It's OK, I don't think he was the terrorist form of MacGyver.

**Rimmy**

i'm calling shennanigans. he might claim it, but the odds of being left in a cell for 5 days, a HOLDING cell, which has windows and usually in an open area, and NOT recieving attention... BS.

I work with a LOT of law enforcement, govt law enforcement as well. i'm claiming shennanigans.

boo hoo, the poor defenseless CRIMINAL THAT RAIDED AN ARMORY.

/pity party

**HonorHarrington**

SilverMK2 wrote:
HonorHarrington wrote:Nevermind abuse of power, if the guy was a terrorist suspect how was he unmonitored for 5 days? Isn't that a massive breach of security?

It's OK, I don't think he was the terrorist form of MacGyver.

Granted, but if the SCOTUS has decided it's ok to perform strip searches for minor crimes on the way into county for officer safety and other prisoner safety shouldn't they also monitor them? Or once their cavities are checked they are on there own?

**Melissia**

Rimmy wrote:boo hoo, the poor defenseless CRIMINAL THAT RAIDED AN ARMORY.

Source?

**Palindrome**

There also that unfortunate 'innocent until proven guilty' thing.

**HonorHarrington**

Rimmy wrote:i'm calling shennanigans. he might claim it, but the odds of being left in a cell for 5 days, a HOLDING cell, which has windows and usually in an open area, and NOT recieving attention... BS.

I work with a LOT of law enforcement, govt law enforcement as well. i'm claiming shennanigans.

boo hoo, the poor defenseless CRIMINAL THAT RAIDED AN ARMORY.

/pity party

IF and that's a monstrous IF he raided an armory why was the DEA holding him and not the ATF or FBI; you know since the DEA generally chases after drugs and stuff.

**dogma**

Rimmy wrote:i'm calling shennanigans. he might claim it, but the odds of being left in a cell for 5 days, a HOLDING cell, which has windows and usually in an open area, and NOT recieving attention... BS.

It appears that the DEA is admitting that it happened.

**Melissia**

Chong, 23, was never arrested, 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.

Criminal negligence it is!

**Rimmy**

dogma wrote:
Rimmy wrote:i'm calling shennanigans. he might claim it, but the odds of being left in a cell for 5 days, a HOLDING cell, which has windows and usually in an open area, and NOT recieving attention... BS.

It appears that the DEA is admitting that it happened.

I still don't buy that they "forgot" about him. that was intentional. no if's and's or buts. either he was getting care, or he was intentionally being ignored.

whether HE was at fault (which it appears he wasn't) or they did it on purpose, no one just accidently forgets you're in a room.