One young man died following Saturday night's rave at the Cow Palace. Police say Anthony Mata, 23, from Santa Clara died after ingesting tainted drugs. They said he also showed signs that he hit his head in a fall, but say that was not enough to kill him.
Mata worked at Piercy Toyota in Milpitas. He was going to DeAnza College training to be a mechanic. His family said he loved cars.
Mata's parents live in Fresno.
Mata was one of about a dozen people who ended up in San Francisco and San Mateo County emergency rooms following the annual electronic music festival "etd.POP 2010." Most of the young people who were taken to the hospital became sick after ingesting tainted drugs. NBC Bay Area spoke to Mata's aunt and a cousin who called on Daly City to cancel next year's rave event.
Officials can't release the condition of those still in the hospital, but Bay City News quoted one health official who said some may have life threatening illnesses. As of Monday, five remained in critical condition. They are suffering from kidney failure and internal bleeding.
Medical staff at San Francisco General Hospital said the symptoms they saw over the weekend were not typically seen in patients who overdose on Ecstasy, prompting authorities to suspect the drugs may have been tainted with an unknown substance.
Two people who were in stable condition Monday told police they don't know any of the other patients, and said neither purchased their drugs at the music event, according to Daly City, Daly City police Lt. Jay Morena.
Along with the medical emergencies, police arrested 68 adults and five juveniles for allegedly possessing or selling drugs. The adults were booked in jail and the juveniles were given court dates after being released to their parents.
A joint task force apparently knew that the party may have illegal drug activity because police held an undercover operation called "eBuy4" that led to the arrests.
Police say they also seized 800 Ecstasy tablets and other drugs including LSD, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Last year's event netted similar arrests and drug seizures.
Sunday night health officials advised anyone who attended the Rave and are feeling sick should seek immediate medical attention. Suspicious symptoms include high fevers or having difficulty staying awake.
Police also remind young people that it is always dangerous to accept drugs from unknown people.
Below is a YouTube clip of the event. It does not show the trouble, but it does show some of the craziness associated with the event.
