AUSTIN, Texas - Police have arrested a man suspected of dealing drugs containing fentanyl that led to a spike in overdoses in Austin.
According to an arrest affidavit, on Monday, April 29 at approximately 9:02 a.m., APD officers and ATCEMS medics responded to a call reporting a possible overdose near East Seventh and Neches Streets in downtown Austin.
Over the course of approximately four hours, officers and medics encountered at least eight subjects suspected of experiencing an overdose. Many of them were treated with Narcan.
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Opioid overdose outbreak in Austin
Since Monday morning, medics have responded to 75 opioid overdose calls in Austin and Travis County. According to the medical examiner, eight deaths are suspected to be opioid-related.
All of the calls for service were within a few blocks of each other.
At approximately 9:37 a.m., officers and medics responded to a call for service at 505 E. Seventh St. and treated multiple subjects suffering from suspected overdoses.
One of those subjects died at the scene at 10:27 a.m.
Using HALO cameras in more than 40 locations downtown, APD observed a female engaging in multiple hand-to-hand transactions. The female would hand suspected narcotics to a male subject, who would then deliver them to the customer.
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Based on the video observations, police believed that the female and male were the possible suspects who dealt drugs to the people who overdosed.
The female suspect was identified as 26-year-old Brandi Brite, and the male suspect was identified as 55-year-old Johnny Wright. Both suspects had a history of narcotics activity, and were known by officers who regularly worked the downtown area as drug dealers.
Johnny Wright mug shot (Austin Police Department)
Johnny Wright was detained in downtown Austin on Monday morning. Detectives found that he was carrying a handgun loaded with four rounds of live ammunition.
Wright, who has several previous felony convictions on his record, was arrested for the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
There is no word yet on whether police have located Brite.