(CBS/AP) Chicago police say seven people had to be taken to local hospitals yesterday after drug dealers on the city's West Side began handing out free samples of the latest batch of heroin to hit the street.

About noon, paramedics responded to a call at an alley off West 21st Place, where three people were reportedly suffering overdoses or the effects of tainted dope.

Authorities scoured the neighborhood and found four more people unconscious in plain sight within a three-block area.

It was surprising even in a neighborhood that has seen it all – ambulances lined up to revive and transport people lying in the streets and alleyways unconscious and barely breathing, reports correspondent Jon Duncanson of CBS station WBBM.

All seven were treated with an anti-narcotic, shipped to nearby hospitals, and were reportedly in good condition.

In a few days, local residents said they expect people to flock to that same alley looking for that same batch of heroin, even though police are passing out fliers as warnings.

Police are not absolutely certain that the substance causing the overdoses was heroin, but they do know that drug dealers were passing out some variety of bad narcotics.

Anyone who said yes to the free offer was able to get a dose of a potentially lethal and deadly mix.

Prestina Singleton called 911 after her uncle collapsed on her floor.

"He took some of it; some of the free stuff, and he fell out," Singleton said. "(He) came in the house and he just fell out. We called the ambulance and they asked what was going on. He took some free heroin, fell out, (we) called the ambulance."

©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Back To Top