Opinion ID: 4651954
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tekoh’s Account of the Questioning

Text: In Tekoh’s telling, when Deputy Vega first approached him, Vega asked if there was somewhere they could speak in private. Tekoh’s co-workers suggested the MRI “reading room,”—a small, windowless, and soundproof room used by doctors to read MRIs. When one of Tekoh’s co-workers tried to accompany Tekoh into the reading room, Deputy Vega stopped her and told her the interview was private. Deputy Vega shut the door and stood in front of it, blocking Tekoh’s path to the exit. He then accused Tekoh of touching the patient’s vagina. Tekoh adamantly denied the allegation. After about 35 to 40 minutes of questioning during which Tekoh refused to confess, Deputy Vega told him (falsely) that the assault had been captured on video so he might as well admit to it. Still, Tekoh did not confess. TEKOH V. COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 7 Tekoh then asked to speak to a lawyer, but Deputy Vega ignored the request. At that point, Tekoh grew frustrated and tried to get up and leave the room. Tekoh testified: I made one or two steps, and [Deputy Vega] rushed at me and stepped on my toes, put his hand on his gun and said, “Mr. Jungle Nigger trying to be smart with me. You make any funny move, you’re going to regret it. I’m about to put your black ass where it belongs, about to hand you over to deportation services, and you and your entire family will be rounded up and sent back to the jungle . . . . Trust me, I have the power to do it.” According to Tekoh, this outburst left him “shaking” and triggered flashbacks to his experiences with police brutality in Cameroon, where he was from. Deputy Vega then grabbed a pen and paper, put them in front of Tekoh, and told him to “write what the patient said [he] did.” When Tekoh hesitated, Vega put his hand on his gun and said he was not joking. According to Tekoh, Vega then dictated the content of the written confession and Tekoh, who was scared and “ready to write whatever [Vega] wanted,” acquiesced and wrote the statement down.