Marin Sheriff's Office Releases Names of Two People Involved in Wild LSD Party

By Jim Welte and Jessica Mullins

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office has identified the 18-year-old man and woman arrested at a Marin party involving LSD and a host of other drugs that spiraled out of control Sunday morning, with teens allegedly assaulting and spitting blood at deputies and paramedics who'd arrived to treat a 16-year-old boy having a drug-induced seizure.

 Lt. Jamie Scardina said the two people, who have since been released from Marin County Juvenile Hall, are Layla Laos, 18, of Foster City, and Austin Ishman, 18, of San Mateo. The pair were booked on suspicion of a series of charges that include resisting arrest, assault on a peace officer, assault on a firefighter, contributing possession of illegal narcotics and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. 

On the Facebook page of an Austin Ishman who lists his hometown as San Mateo, an entry from Sept. 30, the day after the arrests, states, "Will someone please tell me what happened?" A Sept. 28 entry states, "Last hour of work, countin' down the minutes till dippin up to the north bay!!!!"

A 16-year-old boy who was hospitalized after the incident was subsequently cited and released to the custody of his parents, Scardina said. 

A 16-year-old girl also was cited under Marin’s Social Host Ordinance after deputies determined her family owns the vacant house on the 100 block of Reed Blvd. in Strawberry where the party took place and said she provided access.

 The owner of the home where the party occurred, Daryl Faulds, disputes that claim, saying that he doesn't know who provided access to his home, which he said is in the process of being switched from one rental tenant to another.

"Nobody had a key to that house," Faulds said, noting that he had to throw out $3,000 worth of furniture that was covered in blood and he was concerned about infectious diseases. “We’ve been really damaged by this whole thing.”

Faulds said it was widely known that the home adjacent to his was vacant and that his had become vacant recently. He said he believes that somebody climbed up a tree near the back fence of the property and broke into the house.

The 16-year-old girl also was cited for possession of DMT, an illegal psychedelic drug that Pittman described as having ecstasy-like attributes, according to Scardina. In addition to LSD and DMT, deputies said they found marijuana and cocaine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), nitrous oxide and alcohol at the party. They also believe that people at the party were using heroin.

Sheriff’s deputies and Southern Marin Fire were called to the home at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Paramedics trying to get onto the property were confronted at an entry gate by a 16-year-old boy, who was covered in blood and refused to let the firefighters pass, according to Pittman. The boy, who they suspected was under the influence, attacked several firefighters with what they later described as “superhuman strength,” Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Pittman told Patch on Sunday.

Pittman said that once the scene was under control, paramedics treated the boy who was having an “LSD-induced seizure,” and found eight other teens inside the house, all of whom also had blood on them but were not combative.

Deputies later determined that the blood on the teens was from self-inflicted injuries sustained by the 16-year-old boy. They don't believe he was suicidal, though.

Scardina said officials are still waiting on toxicology reports to get more information about the drugs the teens may have taken.

“We don’t have any information that any of the drugs were laced,” he said in an e-mail to Patch. “Based on my training, education and experience, someone may experience the following symptoms of LSD: elevated pulse, profuse sweating, vivid hallucinations, aggressive behavior, and dilated pupils.”

The investigation into the party is ongoing, Scardina said.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Investigations Unit at 415-473-7265 or Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.