Two Clovis police officers hospitalized for fentanyl exposure during arrest

Two Clovis police officers were taken to the hospital after being exposed to fentanyl during an arrest Sunday afternoon.

The incident happened around 2:40 p.m. when officers were called for a suspicious person behind the Trader Joe’s at WIllow and Nees avenues, according to a Clovis Police Department news release.

Officers arrived and arrested Patrick Martin, 56, who had several active arrest warrants. The officers searched his car and found a white substance in a plastic container. They packaged the container in a paper bag and put it in the trunk of the patrol car.

On their way to Clovis Police headquarters they both began to feel shortness of breath and their heart rate was elevated. They were immediately treated at the scene and taken to the hospital.

According to the Clovis Police Department, the officers were both in good condition and have been released from the hospital.

A drug task force examined the white substance, which tested positive for both fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is between 80 and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Martin was booked Sunday night at the Fresno County Jail for multiple misdemeanor warrants and drug charges.

This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 10:15 PM.