Seattle police have saved 9 people with overdose drug

SEATTLE — A ninth person was saved with an overdose drug administered by Seattle police bicycle officers Saturday.

The man suffered a heroin overdose downtown.

Officers Jason Drummond and Randy Jokela responded to the report of an overdose around 5:30 p.m. at 4^th Avenue and Olive Way. When they arrived, they found the man lying on a sidewalk.

He was unconscious; his breathing was weak, his skin grey and he "had fresh needle marks on his arm," police said.

The man was given a dose of nasal naloxone and was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Saturday's rescue marks the ninth time officers have successfully used naloxone.

Seattle officers started carrying naloxone in mid-March.

Another recent rescue was reported in early May, when Officers Matt Newsome and Dick Bonesteel saw a 61-year-old man lying in an alley. He had stopped breathing and was foaming at the mouth, and there was an orange hypodermic needle cap beside him.

The department said officers administered the drug, also known as Narcan, and the man began breathing again, opened his eyes and started talking.

The department is considering having all officers carry naloxone.

Washington law provides immunity from criminal drug possession charges for anyone who seeks medical aid for themselves or someone else experiencing an overdose.

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Cox Media Group