An alarming incident from last summer at a Costco parking lot is at the center of a lawsuit that involves a San Diego police officer accused of excessive force and racist insults against a Homeland Security agent. According to an NBC San Diego report, Officer Jonathan Ferraro, off duty at the time, confronted Homeland Security agent Chu Ding after a parking dispute.
The confrontation turned physical quickly, with surveillance footage showing Ferraro, who was in plain clothes and unarmed, appear to slam Ding to the ground forcibly. Ding was rendered unconscious as a result. In the tumult, Ferraro allegedly called Ding a "Chinese piece of (expletive)," said Ding's attorney Eugene Iredale. Officer Ding, who is 53, was then handcuffed and detained before eventually being taken to the hospital for serious injuries, which included a fractured rib and a concussion. What's notable is that the district attorney would later drop all charges against Ding, finding no basis for the initial felony obstruction charge, Iredale highlighted in a statement, per NBC San Diego.
The video of the incident, provided by Iredale, was silent but suggested a one-sided altercation. The dispute began when Ding, trying to leave his parking spot, signaled Ferraro that he was being blocked. Ferraro's subsequent actions led to the altercation and Ding's subsequent detainment by six arriving SDPD officers. According to the lawsuit details reported by the Times of San Diego, Ding was improperly handcuffed, leading to "excruciating pain for hours," and was denied necessities such as food and water while being pressured to sign an apology letter to Ferraro.
The lawsuit even further accuses the SDPD of a history of excessive force and a culture of protecting its own from misconduct allegations. Iredale described this case as having "active obstruction of justice by fellow officers" as Ding was first taken to an emergency room long after being detained and then charged with a felony. It would take nine months before Ding's employer, Homeland Security, would clear him of any alleged wrongdoing. During this time, Ding, a U.S. Navy veteran who became a citizen in 2006, faced physical recovery, the anguish of an ongoing investigation, and the weight of a tarnished reputation, according to the Times of San Diego.
