Seventeen patients were involved in a possible collective ingestion of a controlled substance at Pitchess Detention Center on Tuesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department officials and an official statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The statement reads that at approximately 10:08 a.m., several inmates housed in the North County Correctional Facility experienced a medical emergency.
According to Esteban Benitez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched to Pitchess Detention Center North at 10:26 a.m. and arrived on the scene at 10:37 a.m.
Seventeen patients were identified as needing medical attention, according to Benitez.
According to Los Angeles County dispatch radio traffic, 17 patients were affected, with three identified as being in critical condition.
Los Angeles County Fire treated all affected inmates, according to LASD’s statement.
Fourteen of the patients were to be evaluated and receive medical attention at the detention center, according to L.A. County dispatch radio traffic.
Three patients were transferred to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital via three ambulances at 11:08 a.m., according to Benitez and LASD’s statement.
At the time of this publication, the status of the patients is unknown, according to LASD’s statement.
According to LASD’s statement, preliminary information suggests that they may have ingested a controlled substance.
The incident concluded at 11:23 a.m., according to L.A. County dispatch radio traffic.
“The investigation is currently ongoing,” read LASD’s statement.
