The use of a synthetic street drug from the same supplier is believed to be the common cause of some two dozen illnesses in the Skid Row section of downtown Los Angeles, police said.
The first case of seizure-like symptoms was reported Friday morning, followed quickly by additional cases, and then another spike after noon, when the fire department called LAPD to assist. The wail of rescue ambulance sirens continued to be heard through afternoon and into the evening.
The illnesses did not require advanced life support and did not appear to be life- threatening, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Police believe those who fell ill had used the synthetic street drug known as "spice," described as a less expensive alternative to marijuana. It likely was a "bad batch," said Capt. Don Graham, LAPD Central Area commander.
"Folks are making it from recipes they find on the internet," Capt. Graham lamented. "Things that can go wrong."
Inexpensive to produce and sold on the street for as little as a dollar a joint, spice is not uncommon on the streets of Skid Row, with the city's most concentrated population of homeless, impoverished, and mentally ill. Officers fanned out Friday to warn those in the area of concerns the newly arrived spice was causing the illnesses.
It was the second one day epidemic of illnesses linked to spice in recent months, Capt. Graham said.
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"Distribution is so fast that one bad batch can decimate an area," Graham said.
The source of the suspect Spice has not been determined.
