Teen Death Prompts Probe

Managers of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum are promising a thorough investigation following the suspected drug overdose death of a 15-year-old girl who attended a weekend rave at the venue.

The girl was in respiratory arrest and non-responsive when an ambulance took her to the emergency room from the rave, California Hospital Medical Center spokeswoman Katreena Salgado told the Los Angeles Times. She died Tuesday.

The girl was one of two rave attendees who were in critical condition and treated for drug intoxication after attending the weekend’s 14th annual Electric Daisy Carnival.

The June 25-26 event drew about 185,000 people to carnival rides, five stages and performances by Moby and will.i.am. More than 100 young people were taken to local hospitals, mostly for drug intoxication.

Doctors won’t know what drugs were in the dead teen’s system until an autopsy and toxicology tests are completed, Salgado said.

Pat Lynch, who manages the Coliseum, was stunned to learn of the death.

“I don’t know what to say. That’s just terrible,” Lynch said.

He promised to investigate how a 15-year-old got into the rave when 16 was the minimum age for entry, as the promoter requested.

Coliseum Commission President Barry Sanders issued a statement expressing sadness over the girl’s death. Sanders also called for “a special meeting to review all the circumstances and the criteria for insuring that event promoters in our facilities have proper procedures in place to protect the health and safety of all attendees.”

The number of patients who ended up in hospitals after the rave led several emergency room physicians to call for an end to raves at the Coliseum on Monday.

Cathy Chidester, director of the county Emergency Medical Systems agency, said Monday that officials treat raves at the Coliseum like a “multi-casualty incident.”

Earlier this year, at least 18 drug overdoses tied to Ecstasy were reported at a New Year’s Eve rave at the Los Angeles Sports Arena next to the Coliseum. Two men died of suspected drug overdoses during a Memorial Day weekend rave at the Cow Palace in Daly City, south of San Francisco.