Eight Patients in Suspected Overdose at Men's Central Jail

One adult male died and seven others were transported from a suspected overdose at the Men's Central Jail.

At 8:40AM on October 8, 2024 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a reported overdose at 441 E Bauchet Street.

Firefighters arrived to find multiple patients and immediately upgraded the incident to a "Multi-Casualty Incident" (MCI), triggering additional resources. Firefighter/Paramedics located an adult male patient in critical condition and initiated Advanced Life-Saving care. Despite their dedicated efforts and the assistance of the LAFD Advanced Provider (nurse practitioner), the patient was beyond medical help and determined dead.

Meanwhile, additional crews quickly determined the exact number and condition of all patients. The patients were isolated and assessed, fortunately, none were in medical distress. Due to the presence of an unknown white substance on the patient's clothing, the LAFD Hazardous Materials Squad responded to perform a full decontamination to ensure all were safe to transport. Firefighters in full personal protective equipment (PPE) assisted in removing the patient's outer clothing and provided them a clean Tyvex suit to wear after decontamination. The LAFD then transported six patients to the hospital. One patient who initially declined any LAFD treatment was later transported to the hospital by the Sheriff's Department.

LAFD worked with the LA County Sheriff's Department to safely test and identify the substance for their investigation.

A final decon was performed on all exposed firefighters and deputies. Shortly before noon, command of the incident transferred to the Sheriff's office for their continuing investigation.

The LA County Medical Examiner will conduct the autopsy to determine cause of death.