SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Spokane police said many people hallucinating and even getting violent throughout Spokane on Tuesday most likely all took a similar stimulant, and if you see these behaviors, help yourself before helping them.
Dr. Bob Lutz with Spokane Regional Health District said if you're approached by someone showing erratic behavior you should take care of yourself and immediately leave the area before dialing 9-1-1.
"These individuals can be a concern for harm to others as well as themselves," Dr. Lutz said.
Spokane Police said many people thought to have taken an unknown drug were walking the street hallucinating and yelling at people or objects that were not there Tuesday. Police said the behavior observed from their encounters with those individuals was consistent with symptoms often seen in people on stimulants.
However, the only thing police can confirm at this point is that it is possible a common drug was responsible for the erratic behavior.
"I think when you have an episode of this significance, however, just that those individuals who were maybe using illicit substances - which sounds like a stimulant - that there may be a bad batch out there that people have access to," Dr. Lutz said.
There is no word yet on if additional incidents were reported Wednesday. The Spokane Police Department Drug Unit is working to find the source of the drug.