SANTA MONICA—Sgt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department indicated in a press release to Canyon news on April 28 that on Sunday, August 25, officers at 6:08 p.m. used Narcan to save a woman who overdosed on opioids in Virginia Park.
After arriving on the scene, officers encountered the reporting person, who informed them that he found his girlfriend had overdosed inside her home. He was transporting her to a local hospital, but while driving he realized her condition declining. He pulled over at Virginia Avenue Park and called for help. The reporting person informed officers that his girlfriend had overdosed on Oxycodone.
Officers realized the victim was pale, unconscious, and non-responsive so they retrieved their Naloxone (also known as Narcan) kit and administered it to the victim intranasally. The victim responded positively and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Naloxone (Narcan) causes no harm when administered and blocks opioid receptors in the brain. It temporarily reversing the effects the opioids cause such as respiratory arrest. Narcan has been used over 14 times by SMPD personnel since the inception of the program in January 2019. The name of the victim has not been disclosed to the public.
