1 dead, 3 hospitalized after possible fentanyl overdose in Lakewood

One man is dead and three other people have been hospitalized following a suspected fentanyl overdose in Lakewood, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

About 1 a.m. Sunday, first responders were dispatched to a home in the 6600 block of Dillman Street after receiving a call that four people had stopped breathing because of a possible overdose of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that can cause respiratory failure, authorities said.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Three other adults were rushed to the hospital, and their conditions remain unclear.

Authorities will need to await lab testing to confirm whether the overdoses were the result of fentanyl, which has been responsible for a mounting death toll locally and across the country.

In 2022, fentanyl became the most common cause of accidental drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County, surpassing methamphetamine, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. More than 1,900 people died countywide from fentanyl overdoses that year.