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One Los Angeles County inmate is in critical condition and six others are in critical condition after being exposed to an unknown substance at a prison facility, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
LAFD said an inmate may have inhaled or been exposed to a substance that authorities have not yet formally identified at 6:49 a.m. at the Men’s Central Jail, 441 E. Baucher St. in Chinatown. First responders were called to the scene. . They were all taken for treatment after being exposed inside the prison’s 5600 Dormitory, authorities said.
According to LAFD, all of the patients appear to be male. Aerial footage of the scene Tuesday morning showed some people being escorted from prison wheelchairs. “No escalation or off-site hazards have been identified,” the LAFD said in its warning.
After hazardous materials experts responded, the Los Angeles County Health Hazardous Materials Division, along with sheriff’s officials, took over handling of the situation.
Earlier this month, hazardous materials investigators were called to the prison to decontaminate certain areas following another incident that resulted in multiple inmates being hospitalized. One inmate was pronounced dead at the scene, and six others were hospitalized.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased man as Trumaria Foreman, 33. LAFD officials said the man was transported due to an overdose of a powdered substance. However, his cause of death is still being investigated by the coroner.
Authorities initially described the situation as a suspected overdose, but later said they were still working to determine the official cause. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant John Johnson said the inmates all began suffering from some form of medical distress at the same time in the same cell. Michael Modica told reporters at the time that he did not specify what his symptoms were.
LAFD Lt. Eric Scott said when police called 911 that morning, the situation appeared to be a suspected overdose, and firefighters used Narcan to try to rehabilitate the deceased man. But he and other officials said the coroner and other investigators would need to conduct further investigation to confirm whether the incident was actually drug-related.
Authorities have not determined whether drugs may have been involved in Tuesday’s incident or released other details about the suspected cause.
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Marissa Wenske
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