Police Officers Hospitalized During Turtle Ridge Community Search

LAKE FOREST, CA — An unknown trouble call from a cell phone Monday night led Irvine Police officers to search a residence inside the gated Turtle Ridge community, according to Irvine Police Department Public Information Officer, Kim Mohr.

Officers reported to the 40 block of Garden Path, in the Summit at Turtle Ridge community at approximately 11 p.m. Monday.

"Upon their arrival, the resident said he believed someone had broken into his home," Mohr said.

The resident allowed officers to enter the home and began a search of the property, she said. As they searched room by room, the officers sighted an unknown substance and noticed that they both felt light headed and dizzy.

"The officers exited the property as soon as they noticed their symptoms," she said. "At that point, they were both transported to an area hospital by Orange County Fire Authority medics."

A warrant was served to search the residence, and a joint hazardous assessment between the Irvine Police Department and OCFA-Hazmat team was still underway as of 11 a.m.

"The two officers who originally searched the building have been released from the hospital and are expected to be just fine," Mohr said.

Though OCFA mentioned a drug lab in initial reports, that has not been confirmed by Irvine Police Department.

Due to the nature of the suspicious substance and follow up search of the property, Irvine Police officers "evacuated a few residences nearby out of extreme precaution," Mohr said.

The gated community has been notified and given an understanding of the police activity that was still underway as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Due to being uncooperative with authorities during the investigation, the resident who called in the initial report was detained by Irvine Police, Mohr said.

No arrests have been made, according to Mohr.

There have been no further police, OCFA or civilian injuries as of this report.

"We will let the investigation play out, before we make any determinations about what the substance that made officers dizzy was," she said.

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