Update: Shortly after news broke that Anne Heche's car crash is being probed as a possible felony DUI, the actress's spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of Heche's family and friends. It states that Heche suffered a "severe anoxic brain injury" caused by a sustained lack of oxygen to the brain as a result of the crash. She is "not expected to survive," the statement adds. "It has long been her choice to donate her organs," the statement says, per the AP, and Heche is being kept on life support in order to determine whether any of her organs are viable for donation. Our original story from earlier Friday follows:
When Anne Heche crashed into a Los Angeles home last week, the actress was likely under the influence of narcotics, police say. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said a blood test found the presence of narcotics, but a second blood test will be done to rule out any medications given to Heche after she was taken to the hospital. Heche would not be detained or arrested until those results are back, clarifying whether she was under the influence when she actually crashed, the rep says.
A law enforcement source tells the Los Angeles Times that the first blood test found Heche had cocaine in her system, but that information has not been confirmed. TMZ's source says the blood test also found fentanyl, but that authorities need to determine whether that was from pain meds given at the hospital. Authorities obtained a warrant to take Heche's blood, common practice if the person is incapacitated and cannot give consent. Prior to the fiery crash, which destroyed the home Heche crashed into, Heche was seen on video crashing into another garage and speeding down another street in the area.
story continues below
The owner of a hair salon in a nearby area says that just before the crash, the actress came in to purchase a red wig and that she didn't seem to be intoxicated, but that the incident was "very, very random." Police are investigating the incident as a possible felony DUI because the woman inside the home that was destroyed suffered minor injuries in the incident. Sources say Heche's condition has not improved since she was hospitalized, and TMZ describes her as in "dire" shape. (More Anne Heche stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
