Cop beats Homeland Security agent in ‘parking lot rage' at CA Costco, lawyer says

Miami Herald

12 hours ago

A man working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is suing a San Diego police officer accused of beating him in a 'parking lot rage' at a California Costco, leaving him with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder, his attorney said.
According to a federal lawsuit brought by Chu Ding, 53, of San Diego, he was knocked unconscious by Officer Jonathan Ferraro during the July 2, 2024, assault, then was wrongfully detained as officers 'denied (him) food, water and medical care' for five hours.
A complaint filed July 1 says the assault stems from when Ferraro blocked Ding, who is a DHS agent, in a parking space with his truck at a Costco on Carmel Mountain Road.
Footage provided to McClatchy News by attorney Julia Yoo, who represents Ding, shows the truck pull up in front of Ding and block his parked car.
Ding is seen walking over to the truck and tapping on it before returning to his car. The video shows the truck slowly driving forward in response, then reversing back into the same spot, in front of Ding.
Afterward, Ding tapped on the trunk of the truck 'to let Ferraro know that he was leaving,' resulting in a violent reaction, the complaint says.
Ferraro emerged from his vehicle and called Ding a 'Chinese piece of (expletive),' according to the complaint. He then pushed Ding.
'When Mr. Ding refused to back down, Ferraro who is two decades younger, picked Mr. Ding up and slammed him into the ground,' the complaint says.
The physical altercation was captured in the video, which ends with Ding seen lying in the parking lot.
In an emailed statement to McClatchy News on July 8, Yoo said Ferraro 'directed his frustration toward an innocent victim who was attempting to give him a parking space.'
'Ferraro engaged in conduct that is illegal for anyone as well as being intemperate and racist,' Yoo also said, adding that 'this was egregious conduct.'
In addition to Ferraro, Ding's lawsuit names multiple San Diego police officers and the city as defendants. He is suing on 11 causes of action, including excessive force, wrongful detention and false arrest.
The city attorney's office said it is unable to comment on the litigation and declined McClatchy News' request for comment on July 8. The San Diego Police Department did not return a request for comment.
Yoo told McClatchy News that 'the worst thing in the case was that Ferraro conspired with at least four other officers to falsify an arrest report and deny a seriously injured man water and medical care to try to extort an apology to justify his own misconduct.'
The lawsuit says six San Diego officers arrived at Costco and handcuffed Ding after he was slammed to the ground.
Ding was detained in a patrol car for a few hours, when one officer learned he worked for DHS, according to the complaint. Then he was taken to a police station.
At the station, the complaint says, Ding was pressured into writing Ferraro an apology letter.
When Ding finished the letter, he was falsely arrested on a felony charge of obstructing or resisting an officer, according to the complaint.
A police commander ultimately ordered one officer to take Ding to a hospital, following a request from Ding's wife.
He was seen that evening at Scripps Health San Diego Emergency Room between 7:45 and 8:30, about five hours after he was detained at Costco, according to the complaint.
Ding was diagnosed with a fractured rib and a contusion, along with a dislocated shoulder and concussion, the filing says.
He was then released around midnight and booked into the San Diego Central Jail, where his bail was set at $20,000, according to the complaint.
He remained in jail until about 2 or 3 p.m. on July 3, 2024, when he posted a $1,800 bond, the filing says.
Ding's arrest caused him physical and reputational harm, as his DHS 'coworkers discovered immediately that Mr. Ding had been booked into the Central Jail,' the complaint says.
DHS initiated an internal investigation into Ding, who was cleared of wrongdoing several months later, according to the lawsuit.
The San Diego District Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Ding more than a week after his arrest, the complaint says.
The filing includes three photos of Ding's injuries, stemming from his arrest, including two showing bruising and marks on his right shoulder and arm.
The lawsuit argues Ding's mistreatment by San Diego police is linked to a larger pattern of the department's officers using 'excessive and unnecessary force.'
With the lawsuit, Ding seeks an unspecified amount in compensatory, special and punitive damages and demands a jury trial.
Ding and his attorneys are also calling for an investigation.
'We demand a thorough and independent investigation not just of Ferraro but of the individual officers and their supervisors for their role in charging an innocent man with a felony,' Yoo told McClatchy News.
'If they feel emboldened enough to do this to another law enforcement agent, imagine what they must do to assault, frame and extort regular citizens,' Yoo added.