A teenage boy who police believe had a reaction to street drugs was saved from drowning in a pond on Discovery Trail in Abbotsford on Wednesday afternoon.
Abbotsford Police were called at about 3:15 p.m. to reports that a youth had tripped down a hill and fallen into a pond on the trail near Wells Gray Avenue and McKinley Drive.
The first two officers who arrived were directed to the exact location by a teenage boy.
When the officers arrived at the pond, they found two youths in the water – the one who had tripped and was in medical distress and a friend who was trying to help him.
MacDonald said the water was about chest deep, but the bottom was "like mucky sludge" and the friend was having difficulty getting his friend out of the pond.
The officers removed their excess equipment, traversed the 30-foot-steep embankment and entered the water. A third officer arrived on the scene and also jumped into the pond.
A man in his 30s helped police from land and kept watch over the discarded gear.
The victim was pulled from the water and received treatment from BC Ambulance and Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service members.
MacDonald said it is believed that the youth had ingested a combination of marijuana and LSD, which caused him to panic. He was taken to hospital for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
MacDonald said the teen likely would have drowned if not for the quick actions of the friend and the officers.
Police did not get the names of the teen boy who guided officers to the scene and the man who helped from the bank of the pond. They now want to identify and thank them, MacDonald said.
They, or anyone who knows them, is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.