Man Sues Over Arrest in CHP Officer’s Slaying
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A Buena Park man arrested and then released in connection with the brutal slaying of California Highway Patrol Officer Don Burt filed a federal lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles alleging that police violated his constitutional rights.
Yong Ho Choi, a 32-year-old unemployed painter, said in the suit that officers failed to inform him of his rights and did not allow him to call an attorney after his arrest. The lawsuit, filed against Anaheim and Fullerton officials, contends that officers also defamed Choi by publicly announcing that he was suspected of killing the officer.
Choi’s suit, filed by attorney Stephen Yagman, seeks more than $50,000 in damages.
Yagman contends that officers were under pressure to solve the slaying of another peace officer. “And they improperly used [Choi] as the vehicle to accomplish that.”
Officials in Fullerton denied that Choi’s rights were violated. Anaheim officials said they could not comment because they had not seen the lawsuit.
Police later identified Hung Thanh Mai, 25, of Anaheim as the prime suspect in the July shooting. Mai was arrested in Houston and is awaiting trial.
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