San Diego Cops Claim Rookie Officer Overdosed From Fentanyl In Viral Video, But Many Aren't Buying It

Last Thursday, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office shared a video of a rookie police officer allegedly suffering a fentanyl overdose. An officer administered Naloxone to him, allegedly saving his life.

Recently, a @SDSheriff Deputy was exposed to Fentanyl and nearly died of an overdose. If it wasn't for the quick-thinking of his Field Training Officer in administering Naloxone, that deputy would not be alive today. Watch our public safety video: https://t.co/4FzU7biD7j pic.twitter.com/vWjylpTm14

— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) August 5, 2021

While this sounds like a harrowing experience for the young officer, many of the details shown in the video and given by the San Diego Sheriff's office afterwards left doubt in many Twitter users' minds that the man was actually experiencing a fentanyl overdose. For starters, he didn't inject the drug but merely touched it. According to medical experts, one cannot overdose from merely breathing it in through the air or touching it.

When we open ampoules of pharmaceutical grade fentanyl, sometimes it spills on our fingers.I have never stopped breathing because that isn’t how fentanyl works.I have also never been so scared that I have fainted like this officer.

— Dr Mike 😷 (@EmergMedDr) August 6, 2021

Patients and their caregivers change fentanyl patches at home, without problems and have been doing so for many years.

— Joanna Gowans (@gowans_k) August 6, 2021

Misinformation kills @SDSheriff https://t.co/9FgdGgxiQU pic.twitter.com/tzOORjiWB7

— People's City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) August 6, 2021

So, if not a fentanyl overdose, what caused the officer to fall over? Twitter users, including some medical experts, theorized it may have been a heat stroke or a panic attack, possibly induced by the fear the officer had for not understanding how fentanyl works.

I’ve responded to dozens of actual fentanyl overdoses. They do not fall in a controlled manner like this person. Also, why is this mans lips pink? If he couldn’t breathe, his lips would be blue and his skin ashen. He has very good colour. I agree. Panic attack. Heat. Not fentanyl

— Alida (she/her) (@alidafernhout) August 6, 2021

This isn’t a fentanyl ODThis is a panic attack with syncope (passing out)And this happened because law enforcement has created this myth that you can overdose from skin contact or any close contact with fentanyl- you can’t- it’s impossibleFacts here- https://t.co/uBfFkLIUkw

— Steve Carroll DO MEd (@embasic) August 6, 2021

This is very obviously not a fentanyl overdose to anyone who has actually seen one or knows how they work, and you should be ashamed of yourselves for advancing this disproven narrative that hurts people.

— Ryan Marino (@RyanMarino) August 6, 2021

While many have chastised the video for allegedly misrepresenting the situation—with some going so far as to accuse it of being "staged"—the San Diego Sheriff's office has maintained that they knew it was a fentanyl overdose, despite not releasing the name of the doctor who made that diagnosis.

We know what factually happened and our deputy almost died from a fentanyl exposure. This is a deadly substance!

— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) August 6, 2021