11:13 AM CST on Monday,
December 8, 2003
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas police have issued eight arrest warrants against fraternity members involved in an apparent hazing incident last month at Southern Methodist University, authorities said.
SMU junior Braylon Curry was hospitalized for 11 days after drinking 3 or 4 gallons of water in addition to hot sauce Nov. 15.
A pledge in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the 21-year-old engaged in what appeared to be a water-drinking competition at an off-campus apartment, located at 6615 Shady Brook Lane, police said.
The incident left him in coma, suffering from pulmonary edema, a condition where water enters the lungs, and hyponatremia, a sodium imbalance brought on by excess fluid consumption, doctors said.
An alumnus of the fraternity, Uche Kalu, 23, was arrested Monday morning on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, said Deputy Chief Bill Turnage of the Dallas Police Department's northeast division. Seven more warrants would be served throughout the morning on three college students and four alumni, he said.
"They had prior knowledge
that consuming that much water could cause death or serious bodily injury,"
he said.
If found guilty, they could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine up to $10,000.
The national organization of Alpha Phi Alpha has suspended its chapter at SMU pending the outcome of an investigation.
