A California lawsuit claims that US police officers mistakenly raided a medical diagnostics center, believing it to be a cannabis farm, and ended up with a gun stuck to the powerful magnets of an MRI machine.
The owners of the Noho Diagnostic Center are suing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), accusing them of conducting a chaotic and reckless operation, which their lawyers described as “nothing short of a disorganized circus.”
The lawsuit details how a SWAT team stormed the center after its leader obtained a search warrant, relying on Officer Kenneth Franco’s observation that the facility was consuming more electricity than nearby businesses. Franco, drawing on his “twelve hours of narcotics training,” concluded that the center must be cultivating cannabis, ignoring the fact that the higher electricity usage was due to the facility’s medical equipment, including an MRI machine and X-ray machines, unlike the neighboring shops selling flowers, chocolates, and children’s products.
When the SWAT team raided the facility in October of last year, they found only offices, a single employee, and medical devices, including the MRI machine, a powerful diagnostic tool that uses high-strength magnets to produce detailed body scans.
Despite a posted sign warning against bringing metal objects near the MRI, one officer approached the machine with a rifle in hand. As expected, the strong magnetic force pulled the rifle to the machine, securing it firmly in place.
Instead of consulting experts on how to safely retrieve the weapon, another officer hit the emergency shutdown button on the MRI. This action caused the machine’s magnet to lose superconductivity, releasing approximately 2,000 liters of helium gas and severely damaging the equipment.
The officer was eventually able to retrieve the gun, but left a loaded magazine on the floor of the MRI room, according to the lawsuit.
Filed last week in California, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and costs. The LAPD has declined to comment on the case, citing ongoing litigation.