Fatal Overdose at Hollywood High School Arrests Have Been Made
The parents of a girl who overdosed at Hollywood High School are seeking answers. The 17-year-old was found unconscious in a restroom, and her father went to find her. She had told him that she was with a friend, who was also unresponsive. The father rushed the girl to the hospital. According to police, the girls had bought Percocet, a narcotic containing oxycodone and acetaminophen.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office identified the girl as Melanie Ramos. The overdose occurred in a bathroom at Hollywood High School, where the students had gathered for an athletic event. The boy who discovered her was the father of the first girl.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore confirmed that the suspects were taken into custody amid an ongoing investigation into the incident that occurred Tuesday at Bernstein High School in Hollywood. One of the young men is a 15-year-old boy, who attends an independent charter school on the Hollywood high school campus, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the death of his 15-year-old friend. He is also suspected of selling the drugs to a third high school student. Police have not released the names of the two suspects, but both were arrested Thursday.
The death of the girl at Hollywood High School was the result of a fentanyl overdose, and the Los Angeles police are investigating it as a homicide. According to the latest national overdose statistics, there are over 200 overdose deaths in the US every day. The pills are typically made to look like normal oxycodone, Percocet, or Xanax pills, but they contain fentanyl.
The LAPD believes that the boys involved in the overdose and their associated drug sales were part of a larger drug organization. In fact, the teens may be part of a larger drug organization that uses the children as pawns. Investigators say the teens were connected to the same dealer.
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