Paramedics treated about dozen people for possible Ecstasy and alcohol overdoses on New Year's Eve at a rave at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and several others were arrested on suspicion of possessing the psychedelic drug.
One man trying to exit the venue took "a long fall" on the Figueroa Street side of the arena, firefighters said, adding that he was among those hospitalized early Saturday.
Firefighter-paramedics and police were especially busy between midnight and 2 a.m. at the 13th annual "Together As One" event, billed by promoters as "the world's largest New Year's Eve dance music festival."
In the 90 minutes before the event was scheduled to end at 2 a.m., paramedics treated multiple patients -- including two young men and a young woman believed to be in her late teens -- for possible drug overdoses.
One possible Ecstasy overdose patient was said to be a dialysis patient. Another reportedly was having a seizure. The woman was being treated just outside the venue on Figueroa Street, according to the fire department.
At least one person at the rave was treated early Saturday for trauma due to a possible assault. Some people at the event were treated for possible alcohol intoxication.
The man who fell was trying to jump a wall after 3 a.m., misjudged his landing, and fell 20 to 25 feet.
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Another man who was at the rave came to the police administration building downtown just before 6 a.m. to see about a friend who was arrested. He declined to be interviewed but said the rave "was a blast."
The event began at 5 p.m. Friday, according to promoters.
An estimated 45,000 people were at the sold-out event before 11 p.m., according to news reports. The Los Angeles Times reported the crowd at more than 26,000 just after 11 p.m.
At least two people were treated for drinking too much before they got into the event, according to Michael Bauman of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Promoters billed the event for participants "18 and over with ID." One attendee said it took him 30 to 45 minutes to get through lines that included security checks and into the event. He estimated others took up to two hours to get in.
Los Angeles police Capt. Melissa Zak told the Los Angeles Times three people were arrested for possession of Ecstasy before 11 p.m.
In June, raves were banned at the Sports Arena and adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after the Ecstasy overdose death of Sasha Rodriguez, 15, of Atwater Village, at a rave at the Coliseum.
Coliseum commissioners voted to lift the ban in November, and soon after required rave promoters to petition for approval at least a month before an event, according to The Times.
The new rule did not apply to the rave being staged Friday and Saturday, which had already been scheduled.
Commissioners promised to add safeguards to protect participants and the surrounding neighborhood, including extra security, additional drug searches, stricter enforcement of age limits, and increased on-site emergency medical treatment, according to The Times.
