Riverside teen suffered suspected overdose at school after taking fentanyl-laced pill, police say
Police said the 15-year-old Arlington High School student had bought the pill on a social media platform.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- A 15-year-old student at Arlington High School who suddenly stopped breathing last month during a suspected overdose on campus had taken a fentanyl-laced pill she bought on social media, according to police.
According to the Riverside Police Department, the incident unfolded on Oct. 20.
The teen girl was in the main office of the school when she suddenly collapsed.
Police said she stopped breathing and a school resource officer along with the school's assistant principal and other staff quickly began performing CPR and preparing a school AED defibrillator.
They ultimately revived the student and she began breathing again shortly after, police said.
Emergency crews administered Narcan to the student "based on suspicion of a drug overdose," investigators said.
Police said the student - who was not identified - had taken a fentanyl-laced pill she purchased online.
"The school resource officer's subsequent investigation determined this student took a M30 pill, a suspected counterfeit oxycodone tablet containing fentanyl," read a press release issued by police. "The student purchased it through a social media platform and had it delivered to her home."
Police said detectives with their narcotics unit were able to find the two people suspected of selling the M30 pill to the girl.
They two individuals have since been arrested though their identities were also not released by police.
"This investigation reinforces the ongoing collaborative efforts to educate our community, and more importantly our youth, about the dangerous consequences fentanyl and other narcotics are responsible for," stated Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. "When you engage in illicit drug use, you don't know exactly what you're putting into your body. And with marijuana, pills, and many other narcotics intentionally being laced with fentanyl so often now, the next time could easily be your last."
Police said school resource officers carry Narcan onsite as a preventative measure.
If you'd like to report suspected illegal narcotics activity in Riverside, you can submit an anonymous tip by emailing RPDTips@RiversideCA.gov.
