Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Deputy saves man from overdosing after pulling car over for traffic violations
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – When a sheriff's deputy pulled over a car on Tuesday, April 5, he recognized that a man in the passenger seat was actively overdosing, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Deputy Brady said he was able to administer naloxone to the passenger, saving his life.
The Sheriff's Office said Deputy Brady pulled over the car for traffic violations around 11:14 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Highway 101 northbound near Dos Pueblos Canyon.
When Deputy Brady walked up to the car, he said that he noticed the adult male passenger was purple in the face and had labored breathing.
The Sheriff's Office said that the deputy then requested an ambulance respond and worked with Deputy Ramirez to quickly remove the man from the car.
The responding deputies determined that the passenger was overdosing and quickly administered Naloxone nasal spray, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Medics then arrived and took over, the passenger was taken to the hospital and expected to survive.
The Sheriff's Office said that the deputies then found the driver of the car to be in possession of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and a glass methamphetamine pipe.
During a search of the car, the deputies said they found about 914 grams of suspected methamphetamine and approximately 23 grams of marijuana.
The Sheriff's Office said that the deputies arrested the driver for possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor), possession of narcotics (misdemeanor), possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor) and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
The driver was booked at the Main Jail and later released with a citation, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies have also requested that the District Attorney consider charging the driver with possession of narcotics for sales, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office added that it would like to encourage the public to call for help if they witness a suspected overdose.
