Suspected overdoses in downtown Austin: 5 adults treated
Suspected overdoses on East 6th Street
Five adults were treated after a group of suspected overdoses near a bar in downtown Austin. FOX 7 Austin's Julieanna Jackson has the details.
AUSTIN, Texas - Five adults were treated after a series of suspected overdoses on East Sixth Street early Wednesday morning, prompting a large response from Austin police, fire and EMS.
Austin police investigating suspected overdoses
The backstory:
The Austin Police Department says the cases appear to be opioid-related, but the substance involved has not been confirmed.
Austin-Travis County EMS said emergency crews began receiving multiple 911 calls around 2:20 a.m. reporting people experiencing overdose symptoms in and around a bar in the 300 block of East Sixth Street.
Police said the incidents were concentrated in and around Shakespeare’s Pub.
First responders found five adult patients, including one person who was in respiratory arrest from an apparent overdose, according to ATCEMS.
All five were given Narcan by first responders and bystanders at the scene, and some required multiple doses.
Four patients were taken to area hospitals in stable condition, while a fifth refused transportation.
Officials said the patient, who had initially been in respiratory arrest, was also stable when transported.
Bystanders jump in to help
What they're saying:
Police credited bar employees and other people in the area with helping before and alongside first responders.
Jay Baumann said he was enjoying a normal night out when someone suddenly asked if anyone knew CPR. He rushed to the back of the bar and began chest compressions on an unresponsive person.
Curtis Fitzgerald, who was working nearby, said he grabbed Narcan the bar kept on hand and administered multiple doses before helping perform CPR.
Fitzgerald said the person eventually began coughing and regained a pulse.
"The bystanders that gave Narcan are really the first first responders," Austin police said during an early-morning briefing.
Police investigating possible ‘bad batch’
Dig deeper:
Austin police said investigators believe a "bad batch" of drugs may have contributed to the suspected overdoses.
Police stressed that toxicology results are not yet available, so investigators do not know exactly what substance was involved.
An officer said the cases appeared to be opioid-related and that he "wouldn’t be surprised" if fentanyl was involved.
Fentanyl involvement has not been confirmed.
Police said the department’s narcotics unit is expected to investigate and officers will work with businesses in the area to determine where the drugs came from and who may have supplied them.
APD said this is the first multi-patient overdose incident of this scale downtown since the overdose surge Austin experienced in spring 2024.
No deaths were reported in Wednesday morning’s incident.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about the suspected drugs or their source is asked to contact Austin Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.
The Source: Information from interview with witnesses Jay Baumann and Curtis Fitzgerald, Austin Police Department news conference and reporting by Julianna Jackson.