GIRL, 14, DIES FROM ECSTASY OVERDOSE

Suspect Who Allegedly Supplied Pair Of Friends With Drugs Collapses
During Arrest

Two teenage best friends overdosed on ecstasy at West Edmonton Mall
on Friday. One lived, and the other was taken off life support
Saturday afternoon.

"They took six pills each. One of the girl's body could handle it and
the other girl's couldn't," said Peter Scaife, uncle to the girl who lived.

"They pretty much spent every minute together. We're all pretty
devastated," he added.

"Everything we know, this is her first go at drugs." The 14-year-old
girls were at Galaxyland amusement park, at a monthly Rock n' Ride
Dance Party, an underage event recommended for youth age 12 to 17.

Paramedics were called to the mall shortly after 8 p.m. Friday night
and the girls were rushed to hospital.

The family did not want to identify the children.

Police identified a 16-year-old suspect they believe sold the drugs
and tracked him down through his cellphone, said Staff Sgt. Graham
Hogg. Police arrested him Saturday, but he was aggressive and then
collapsed when handcuffs were applied.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which is called when
anyone is seriously injured in police custody, is investigating the arrest.

The 16-year-old suspect was in critical condition but has now
stabilized, said Mark Neufeld, team commander for ASIRT north. "It's
sounding a bit better," he said.

The two girls were friends from school. Scaife's niece is now awake,
and was able to see her best friend before she was taken off life
support, Scaife said. She has since met with a grief counselor.

Police arrested the 16-year-old at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, near
105th Street and 106th Avenue. A police dog handler closed in on the
youth, but he took off running, police said.

Kuldip Bains, owner of a nearby laundromat, was in the back room when
the suspect dashed in with the officer and dog close behind.

The youth ran between the dryers, tripped over a cart, then ran into
the back room, where he encountered Bains.

"He was all wired up," said Bains. "He was all shaky. I don't know
what happened to him." The youth continued to flee, but tripped over
a curb and was eventually grabbed by the dog handler.

The two plainclothes detectives arrived, but it still took three
minutes for the officers to get handcuffs on him, said Hogg.

No weapons were used, he said.

Just after the youth's hands were secured, he fell unconscious.

He was being treated in the intensive care unit at the Royal
Alexandra Hospital Saturday evening.

The symptoms were classic for a case of excited delirium, said Hogg.
He said the youth may have been on drugs.

"That's always a possibility, but it can happen from mental illness
or just the exertion of fighting like that for so long," he said.
"Three minutes is a pretty long time." Hogg added that if the youth
took the same drugs the girls did Friday, "that could be a reason why
his body is behaving the way it is."