It's common knowledge that MRI machines create a strong magnetic field, and any metal is prohibited nearby. Despite this and the literal warning signs, an LAPD officer entered a room with an MRI machine during a raid carrying a rifle, with predictable results. The officer and the department are being sued as a result.
The owners of NoHo Diagnostic Center are suing the LAPD, the city of Los Angeles and multiple police officers, alleging they violated the business owners' constitutional rights and demanding an unspecified amount in damages. Officers allegedly raided the diagnostic center, located in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, thinking it was a front for an illegal cannabis cultivation facility, pointing to higher-than-usual energy use and the "distinct odor" of cannabis plants, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, to retrieve the magnetized rifle, the officer pressed the emergency stop button, which is only meant to be used in a life-threatening emergency. The machine then vented thousands of liters of helium, damaging it in the process. A Fermi estimate of the cost of the lost helium is hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the cost of repairing the machine if it is even repairable.
No drugs were found.
Previously: A woman took her gun to an MRI appointment. It shot her in the ass.
