7 inmates and 7 deputies at LA’s downtown jail taken to hospital after exposure to substance

Seven men incarcerated at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles were hospitalized on Tuesday after being exposed to an unknown substance.

Later that day, seven Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department custody deputies who responded to the earlier suspected overdose emergency at the jail were taken to the hospital, according to authorities.

At around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, deputies at the jail responded to a medical emergency involving the seven inmates inside a dormitory housing location. The deputies administered Narcan,  performed CPR and called the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to a statement from the LASD.

Paramedics were sent to the jail in the 400 block of East Bauchet Street at about 6:50 a.m., the LAFD said.

“Working closely with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies and staff, a total of seven adult male inmates, one in critical condition and six in serious condition, were provided timely care and prompt hospital transportation by LAFD responders, following their apparent exposure to a yet to be identified substance within Dorm 5600 at the secured Sheriff’s facility,” an LAFD statement said.

Later on in the day, at around 2:55 p.m., seven custody deputies were taken to a local hospital, “after experiencing symptoms potentially related to today’s earlier suspected overdose incident,” said an LASD statement.

The Sheriffs Department said the custody deputies were searching and securing the housing dorm where the earlier medical emergency occurred, when some of the deputies began to experience unspecified symptoms. The deputies were taken to a hospital as a precaution and were reported to be stable, according to LASD.

The LA County Sheriffs Department is responsible for operating LA County jails, and is responsible for more than 12,000 people incarcerated in county jail facilities. In a statement, LASD said it uses mail scanners, body scanners and scent-detection K9s to prevent illicit substances from entering jail facilities.

There have been 25 in-custody deaths at LA County jails so far in 2024, according to Vera, a national organization working to end overcriminalization and mass incarceration of vulnerable populations.

Earlier this month, a man incarcerated at the Men’s Central Jail died of a possible overdose and seven more inmates were hospitalized. The investigation into the incident involved an “unknown white powder.”

On June 22, 2021, LA County’s Board of Supervisor’s adopted a motion to begin implementing plans to close Men’s Central Jail, an outdated facility that has been plagued with deaths and claims of abuse by guards for years.

More recently, in January, a report was delivered to the Board of Supervisors saying it would take at least five years for the jail to close.

The Sheriffs Department is investigating Tuesday’s incident, the law enforcement agency said.