SPD officers saved a man from an overdose Wednesday in downtown Seattle after finding him on the floor of a restroom with a needle in his arm.
Police and Seattle Fire Department EMTs were called to a downtown business at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street around 8:30 PM for a reported overdose. When they arrived, they found a man lying face down on the floor of a bathroom stall. He had turned blue and was struggling to breathe.
EMTs began working to help the man breathe and Officer Jesse Thomas administered a dose of Naloxone.
A short time later, the man’s condition improved and he declined further medical treatment. He was able to walk off under his own power.
This incident marks the fifth time police have successfully used Naloxone since officers began carrying the medication in mid-March. The case will become part of theongoing study conducted by the University of Washington into SPD’s use of Narcan/Naloxone, for a possible department-wide expansion of the program.
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.