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Downtown Officers Use Naloxone to Revive 14th Person From Overdose

West Precinct officers revived a man Saturday after he suffered a drug overdose in the bathroom of a downtown business.

Around 9:30 PM, Officers Matt Newsome and Richard Bonesteel were called to a department store in the 1600 block of 3rd Avenue after a 23-year-old man was found unconscious in a bathroom. The man was sweating, his breathing had slowed, and his pulse was faint when officers found him.

After discovering the man was in possession of items typically carried by heroin users, officers gave him a dose of nasal Naloxone. He quickly regained consciousness and was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

This incident marks the 14th time officers have successfully used Naloxone since Seattle police began carrying it in mid-March. The case will become part of the ongoing study conducted by the University of Washington into SPD’s use of Naloxone for a possible department-wide deployment.

As a reminder, Washington  law provides immunity from criminal drug possession charges for anyone seeking medical aid for themselves or someone else experiencing an overdose.