Support NeoGAF

[ponpo]

Washington Post

ABC Video

Cruz Velazquez Acevedo began convulsing shortly after he drank the liquid methamphetamine he'd brought with him from Tijuana, Mexico.

The 16-year-old had just crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to San Diego and was going through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He was carrying two bottles of liquid that he claimed was apple juice. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told him to drink it to prove he wasn't lying, court records say

A surveillance video published by ABC on Friday, about 3½ years after Acevedo's death, shows the teen taking a sip of the liquid after one of the two officers, Valerie Baird, motioned for him to drink. He took another sip after the other officer, Adrian Perallon, made a gesture with his hand, appearing to tell him to drink more.

The teen took four sips.

Then, he began sweating profusely. He screamed and clenched his fists.

In a matter of minutes, his temperature soared to 105 degrees, his family's attorney said. His pulse reached an alarming rate of 220 beats per minute — more than twice the normal rate for adults.

”Mi corazón! Mi corazón!" Acevedo screamed, according to court records — ”My heart! My heart!"

He was dead about two hours later.

The United States has since agreed to pay Acevedo's family $1 million in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought against the two border officers and the U.S. government.

The family's attorney, Eugene Iredale, acknowledged that the teen did something wrong when he tried to bring drugs into the United States on Nov. 18, 2013.

”But he's a 16-year-old boy with all the immaturity and bad judgment that might be characteristic of any 16-year-old kid," Iredale told The Washington Post. ”He was basically a good boy, he had no record, but he did something stupid. In any event, the worst that would've happened to him is that he would've been arrested and put in a juvenile facility for some period of time. ...

”It wasn't a death penalty case. To cause him to die in a horrible way that he did is something that is execrable."

A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said in a statement that the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the incident and ”determined that no further action was warranted and the officers involved were not disciplined."

”I'm not prepared to say they knew for certain that it was going to kill him. ... It's obvious that they suspected from the beginning that it's meth," Iredale said. ”Playing a cruel joke on a child is not something that's justifiable in any way. They have test kits available that would've given results in two to three minutes."

”I asked him what it was; he said it was juice," Baird told the other border officer, according to Iredale. ”I said to him, ‘Then prove it.' "

 

[pigeon]

This is horrifying.

It's also amazing to me that the US can lose a suit and have to pay a million dollars while simultaneously finding that no disciplinary action is necessary.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

US law enforcement is the fucking worst

 

[isaacnukem]

This is horrible. I hope justice is served and this kind of thing is rooted out.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I'd like to hear from our liberal posters who are anti-immigration.

 

[Apharmd]

what the FUCK.

 

[UberTag]

This is horrifying.

It's also amazing to me that the US can lose a suit and have to pay a million dollars while simultaneously finding that no disciplinary action is necessary.

Law enforcement looks after their own. Nothing to see here. I'm sure they won't do it again.

Spoiler

THEY WILL!

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Jesus Christ, put these people in jail for murder.

Who will be the judicial equivalent of a Serpico and put one of these murdering cop fucks away?

 

[Bubba_Sparks]

Why would he drink it? Not that I am condoning the actions of the officers, because obviously they are idiots. Also, what do you use it for in liquid form? Does it get used to make other drugs?

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

I can only hope to assume, that at best, they thought he was going to get high as fuck and not have a massive cardiac arrest and die.

 

[Trojita]

I'd like to hear from our liberal posters who are anti-immigration.

I don't think this is about immigration here. Seems like he took a trip down south and was coming up north.

 

[Slayven]

What is ti about law enforcement that attracts straight psychos?

 

[Geno Breaker]

Poor guy, he was only 16.

 

[ponpo]

Why would he drink it? Not that I am condoning the actions of the officers, because obviously they are idiots. Also, what do you use it for in liquid form? Does it get used to make other drugs?

Iredale said he does not know where or how Acevedo got the drugs or why he brought them into the United States.

“It’s typical for people who are drug smugglers to approach kids and offer them $150 to smuggle drugs across the border,” he said. “We’re never going to know in this case because Cruz died. He knows it’s something he shouldn’t be bringing.”

Was probably some low level drug mule and didn't think it would actually kill him.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Border agents and ICE can get fucked

This is what happens when the end result is a determination that these agents did nothing wrong.

 

[Nappuccino]

This is not the time to call a young man's bluff. That is not the way to call his bluff, either.

Take the liquid. Test it. Simple as that. Jesus Christ.

 

[old manatee]

That must have been pure hell. I hope he passed out well before his 2 hours were up.

 

[Daingurse]

Jesus fucking Christ . . .

 

[wenis]

I can only hope to assume, that at best, they thought he was going to get high as fuck and not have a massive cardiac arrest and die.

giving the benefit of the doubt to the border officers that were willing to get an underage kid extremely high is very generous.

 

[dankir]

Speechless....

 

[Relentless 757]

Why would he drink it? Not that I am condoning the actions of the officers, because obviously they are idiots. Also, what do you use it for in liquid form? Does it get used to make other drugs?

It's used to make Meth, just in liquid form. Multiple ways to take a drug.

Anyway, this is pretty fucked up. How about they have a test kit around if they are so concerned about drugs? Christ, one sip was probably enough to get this kid tweaking for hours.

RIP

Was probably some low level drug mule and didn't think it would actually kill him.

This is a problem. Anyone with an understanding of how drugs work should know that it doesn't take a lot of meth to kill someone. Law enforcement like this should be aware.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I don't think this is about immigration here. Seems like he took a trip down south and was coming up north.

True

Anyway more importantly RIP to the young man

 

[Slayven]

This is not the time to call a young man's bluff. That is not the way to call his bluff, either.

Take the liquid. Test it. Simple as that. Jesus Christ.

I mean they should get fired for assisting in destroying potential evidence

 

[sturgboski]

This is horrifying.

It's also amazing to me that the US can lose a suit and have to pay a million dollars while simultaneously finding that no disciplinary action is necessary.

Are you really though? I mean the cops caught on camera planting drugs and now getting their cases thrown out are still working.

 

[norm9]

Looks like muder by the second sip.

 

[The Wraith]

Yes the kid was attempting to bring drugs into the states but Jesus man, making the kid drink Meth is just terrible. The fact that no discipline was doled out to the pieces of shit who made him do this is frankly disgusting.

 

[PopeReal]

WTF

Prison for life.

 

[MIMIC]

WTF? Why wouldn't they just confiscate it if they didn't believe him?

This is sick and depraved.

 

[JettDash]

Why would he drink it? Not that I am condoning the actions of the officers, because obviously they are idiots. Also, what do you use it for in liquid form? Does it get used to make other drugs?

He drank it because he thought that wouuld be better than being arrested for drug trafficking.

I'm sure that they planned on removing the water after he brought it across.

 

[Johndoey]

Basically dare a highly nervous teenager to drink something you believe could be a dangerous substance as opposed to you know fucking testing it? Amazing.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

giving the benefit of the doubt to the border officers that were willing to get an underage kid extremely high is very generous.

The alternative is that in the picture above they are smiling and laughing about the impending horrific death of the kid.

I'll take my version thanks

 

[Sai-kun]

make those officers fucking drink it

pieces of shit

 

[Widdle Puppy]

is this not part of their training? Fucking hate CBP.

CBP is a cancer on the USA and all people entering the country.

 

[SlaughterX]

Did anyone actually read the story? Dude lied and said it was AJ... they asked him to drink it and he did. Death or jail... he made his choice.

 

[ponpo]

WTF? Why wouldn't they just confiscate it if they didn't believe him?

This is sick and depraved.

I'm assuming their suspicion wasn't that strong and they assumed if it was drugs he just would refuse to drink it. Still clearly negligent. The article said the drug test would take 3 minutes so the alternative is they are sociopaths and reasonably believed it actually was drugs and wanted to kill him.

Did anyone actually read the story? Dude lied and said it was AJ... they asked him to drink it and he did. Death or jail... he made his choice.

Yeah he lied and drank it, but if the guards had a reasonable suspicion that it was actually drugs, it's on them for suggesting he do so. If TSA catches an inert grenade in someone's bag at an airport, they don't tell them to pull the pin to prove it.

 

[Oberon]

I felt nothing but sadness reading it. RIP

 

[AlexFlame116]

Justice will be made. There people are sick in the heads. Even worse when nothing will be done against them.

 

[Strike]

Good God.

 

[Somnid]

Why would he drink it? Not that I am condoning the actions of the officers, because obviously they are idiots. Also, what do you use it for in liquid form? Does it get used to make other drugs?

Because he's an idiot who in his moment of terror of being found out didn't understand that getting detained was the better option. Their mistake was calling his bluff and assuming he'd come clean and didn't stop him when they had probably already suspected he was carrying something that shouldn't be ingested.

 

[NotMuhSuperman]

This is not the time to call a young man's bluff. That is not the way to call his bluff, either.

Take the liquid. Test it. Simple as that. Jesus Christ.

That costs time and money (months for a proper lab test, mean while the kid would be detained for the entire wait). Field test kits are also notoriously inaccurate. The "drink it" option is much faster option to determining what is and what isn't drugs.

 

[Tagyhag]

Basically dare a highly nervous teenager to drink something you believe could be a dangerous substance as opposed to you know fucking testing it? Amazing.

Yep, obviously the kid was doing something bad but it wasn't worth his life. They were obviously trying to hurt or kill him.

The fact that no disciplinary action happened is insane.

 

[Akainu]

Holy shit. Spare your crocodile tears bitch.

 

[akira28]

What is ti about law enforcement that attracts straight psychos?

usually unquestioned authority over other human beings. people rarely say "what? no" to law enforcement in America. human rights end where the flashing lights begin.

 

[Apharmd]

Guys. This is a 16 year old kid surrounded by grown-ass men. Don't lose perspective.

 

[mechashiva]

Did anyone actually read the story? Dude lied and said it was AJ... they asked him to drink it and he did. Death or jail... he made his choice.

Like he knew death was the other option. Come on man.

 

[Auraela]

He told them it was apple juice they told him to drink to prove wrong.

Why are those guys in wrong ?

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

The article said the drug test would take 3 minutes so the alternative is they are sociopaths and reasonably believed it actually was drugs and wanted to kill him.

Why is this hard to believe

 

[Widdle Puppy]

Did anyone actually read the story? Dude lied and said it was AJ... they asked him to drink it and he did. Death or jail... he made his choice.

yea, coercing a kid into drinking meth...

totally how the procedures of a government institution should be.

 

[JaseC]

authority over other human beings.

And an almost complete lack of accountability.

 

[jacobeid]

State sanctioned executioners. I love how neither of the agents received disciplinary actions. What a joke. Hope this haunts them for the rest of their pathetic lives

Spoiler

It won't. They wouldn't have gone into this line of work with good morals.