More on skid row fall ill; 14 are taken to hospitals
Some say they had synthetic marijuana. A similar incident occurred days before.
Three days after 18 people were rushed to hospitals from downtown’s skid row, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to another multi-patient medical emergency there Monday.
The patients may have shared an illicit drug or other intoxicant, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department, but the source of the illnesses has not yet been identified.
The Fire Department received a 911 call at 10:21 a.m. that led officials to 429 E. 5th St., where they found multiple people suffering from a variety of symptoms. Police blocked off San Pedro Street between 4th and 5th streets and canvassed the area for additional patients. By noon, a total of 18 people had been assessed and 14 were taken to hospitals.
Officer Aareon Jefferson of the Los Angeles Police Department said several subjects told police that they ingested spice, a synthetic form of marijuana that is typically sprayed on cigarettes and smoked.
“We’re not doctors so we can’t confirm,” Jefferson said. “That would be up to the hospital to determine what they ingested.”
Side effects of spice can include rapid heartbeat, nausea and seizures. On Friday, a similar incident led paramedics to cordon off an area near 5th and Wall streets, but authorities have not indicated that the cases were related.
“The LAFD can not confirm any connection to previous medical incidents near this location,” the department said in a statement.
Jefferson said police are not investigating Friday’s or Monday’s incidents.
“Until we can confirm it was a paraphernalia drug, there is no crime,” he said. “If there’s no crime, we don’t investigate it.”
In April, 15 people were hospitalized after consuming a tainted batch of the synthetic drug.
Officials said most victims collapsed on sidewalks, but none died.