L.A. Firefighter Who Choked Asian Student to Brain Damage Walks Free

A firefighter who choked out an Asian student until they were unconscious somehow managed to avoid jail time. Two years ago, L.A. Firefighter Eric Carpenter placed Samuel Chang in a choke hold which eventually led to the Asian man getting hospitalized for weeks.

According to LATimes, Chang’s family was upset after finding out that the 40-year-old assailant was spared from any jail time. With that said, the Asian student now feels that he has been victimized by both Carpenter and the district attorney’s office.

“When you think of firefighters you think of heroes, you don’t think of people who violently attack someone,” Chang added. The physical therapy student claims that he had to delay his studies for about a year after sustaining injuries resulting from the altercation.

Chang suffered from kidney failure, hemorrhage and severe head trauma. In addition, the Asian student claims that he still has chronic headaches and cognitive problems due to injuries stemming from the attack two years ago.

As for the assailant, Carpenter avoided jail time by accepting a plea deal which sentenced him to three years probation and 135 days of community service instead. Furthermore, the 40-year-old firefighter is now back to his duties but not before being suspended for six months without pay.

Carpenter’s lawyer insists that the firefighter’s actions during that Halloween night were justified. After all, Carpenter claims that Chang was allegedly giving “drug-laced candy” to children on the night of the assault.

The L.A firefighter also accused Chang of harassing children on the neighborhood as he recalls that the Asian student had his “pants zipper partway down.” However, Chang’s attorney, David Ring, denied these allegations saying that there’s no evidence to support such claims.

While Carpenter’s lawyer responded saying that they already found key witnesses to contradict Chang’s statements, the firefighter opted to take the plea deal instead. According to Carpenter’s lawyer, the reason behind the firefighter’s decision was because he just wanted put this case behind him. The footage below captures the altercation that occurred on Halloween night of 2015.