Shocking police bodycam footage shows the moment an officer 'overdoses' on fentanyl during a routine traffic stop.
The Tavares Police Department shared the clip of Officer Courtney Bannick - who was fighting for life after pulling over a car last December.
Watch below:
"When people overdose on fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop. This can decrease the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain," the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
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And this is what seemingly happened back in Florida, when Bannick was interrogating a passenger who had fentanyl rolled up in a dollar bill.
Even though she had gloves on, they did not offer enough protection from the illegal substance.
Soon enough, Bannick lost consciousness and passed out in the middle of a road.
Officers attempted to slowly wake her up by tapping her face very lightly.
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"She's not breathing, Ronnie, hit her again," one officer said.
"She was completely lifeless, she looked deceased in these videos," Courtney Sullivan, a fellow officer, told FOX35 Orlando.
"So she is very thankful today.
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"If the other officers weren’t there, there’s a very high chance and probability that today would be different and that we would be wearing our thin blue line – the straps that go over our badges."
Thankfully Bannick is now recovering and said: "I have done this 100 times before the same way.
"It only takes one time and a minimal amount. I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help."
At the time, the individuals in the vehicle faced possible felony charges.
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We are yet to hear an update on the individuals involved.
According to experts interviewed by NPR, police are suffering severe medical symptoms after touching or inhaling powdered fentanyl 'every few weeks'.
However, these experts claim that officers aren't actually experiencing fentanyl or opioid overdoses.
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"This has never happened," said Dr. Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and emergency room physician who studies addiction at Case Western Reserve University. "There has never been an overdose through skin contact or accidentally inhaling fentanyl."
"Fentanyl does not pass through the skin efficiently or well," Marino said. "The dry powder form that's encountered in street drugs is not going to pass through the skin in any meaningful way."
"There's never been a toxicologically confirmed case," said Brandon Del Pozo, a former police chief who studies addiction and drug policy at Brown University." The idea of it hanging in the air and getting breathed in is highly highly implausible - it's nearly impossible."
UNILAD has contacted the Tavares Police Department for an update.
Topics: Drugs, Police, US News