Save Sympathies for True Victims

Young Ho Choi was arrested near the scene of a brutal murder of a California Highway Patrol officer, was “positively” identified by some witnesses as the shooter, was an uncooperative prisoner, and he’s now questioning why he was the subject of scornful treatment by the Fullerton Police Department (“Freed Man Says Police Treated Him Like Animal,” July 17)? I would expect that they had reserved the bridal suite for him.

In his well-orchestrated press conference, he broke down while describing an incident where an officer in the jailhouse pointed his finger at him. Sounds pretty racist to me.

Democracy sure isn’t perfect, but I would suggest that Choi is not the permanently damaged party here.

In the meantime, a young officer’s family grieves their loss and his pregnant wife will have to cope with raising a child with no biological father [present]. If anyone deserves sympathy and compassion in this scenario, I think I know who it is.

TOM CONLEY

Fullerton

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* So, accused cop-killer H.T. Mai “wishes he could change his life” (July 27). Too bad, especially for CHP Officer Don Burt and others alleged to be Mai’s victims. Mai’s wishes came too late. To read how you describe him, one is led to consider him as a neighbor. When will newspapers stop making heroes, or even humans, out of people like Mai?

K.T. GAW

Irvine