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Student Left And Forgotten In Holding Cell For Five Days Gets Apology

By: Mark Memmott // May 2, 2012
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Daniel Chong, a California college senior who "was left alone in a federal holding cell for five days with no food or water," now at least has an apology from the Drug Enforcement Adminstration.

That likely won't make up for having to drink his urine to survive, as Chong spoke of to reporters on Tuesday.

Chong is a University of California, San Diego, senior engineering student. According to Fox5SanDiego.com, he "was detained for questioning along with eight other people during an April 21 raid in which agents seized guns, ammunition and various drugs."

Chong, who faces no charges related to the raid, says he suffered hallucinations during the five days. "I was completely insane," he said Tuesday, according to The San Diego Union Tribune. No one heard his shouts for help.

At one point, Chong said, he tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists with the broken shards of his eyeglasses.

Today, The Associated Press reports, "DEA San Diego Acting Special Agent-In-Charge William R. Sherman said in a statement that he was troubled by the treatment of Daniel Chong and extended his 'deepest apologies' to him."

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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