A second Iraq veteran involved in Occupy Oakland demonstrations has been seriously injured, just over a week since Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen was seriously injured.
U.S. Army veteran (Iraq and Afghanistan), Kayvan Sabehgi, suffered a lacerated spleen from an alleged beating at the hands of Oakland police officers while attending a Occupy Oakland demonstration and general strike on Wednesday, November 2, 2011.
Sabehgi also claims that although he was in agonizing pain, he was forced to wait 18 hours until receiving proper medical attention at a local hospital.
When interviewed by the media from his hospital bed, Sabehgi told the Guardian that he had been walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland — away from the main area of clashes — when he was severely beaten by police.
In the interview Sabehgi said, “There was a group of police in front of me. They told me to move, but I was like: Move to where. There was nowhere to move. Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying ‘Why are you doing this?’ when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me.”
Sabehgi then remained handcuffs for three hours before being driven to jail, where despite indicating he was in excruciating pain, a nurse in the jail suggested that he take a suppository for the pain. This he refused as he insisted that his medical needs were much more severe than that course of action.
Remaining in jail overnight in excruciating pain, when Sbehgi’s bail was eventually posted by mid-afternoon the following day — Thursday, November 3, 2011 — he was unable to walk or crawl to leave his cell.
Forced to remain in his cell because of his deteriorating medical condition, he remained laying on the floor until 6:00 p.m. when an ambulance was finally called and he was taken to Highland hospital.
The U.S. Army veteran underwent surgery today to repair his damaged spleen.
A spokeswoman for Highland hospital confirmed Sabehgi had been admitted. Oakland police have confirmed that he was arrested for remaining at the scene of a riot and for resisting arrest. Oakland police spokeperson Johnna Watson said that they were investigating the allegations.
Sabehgi is the second U.S. military veteran seriously injured at the Occupy Oakland protests.
Iraq veteran and former U.S. Marine Scott Olsen was struck in the head by a police projectile on October 25, 2011, while attending an Occupy Oakland demonstration. After awakening from a medically induced coma to treat his fractured skull — caused by the impact of that police projectile which struck Olsen at close range — the Iraq veteran is currently unable to speak but is able to communicate through writing on a note pad.
Occupy cities across the globe, including Occupy Toronto where 600 people stopped in front of the U.S. consulate on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, held solidarity rallies for his full recovery.
The injuries that Scott Olsen sustained by Oakland police was one the issues that triggered the Oakland general strike on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, the very demonstration that Sabehgi attended where he alleges he was beaten by the police.
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