Velasco diagnosed with drug-induced psychiatric disorder, police said

Since Salinas police released medical information about the suspect involved in Friday’s violent confrontation with officers, it gives us a good idea as to why the suspect acted the way he did.

The suspect, Jose Velasco, was high on meth, according to toxicology reports that he agreed to release at the time he allegedly attacked his mother and officers.

After the story came out, his family said Velasco suffered from a possible mental illness, but as we found out, psychoses can come out of nowhere no matter how healthy you are.

“Mr. Velasco has been diagnosed with specified drug-induced psychiatric disorder,” said Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin.

“It can strike anyone,” said Dr. Erica Weinstein, a psychiatrist with 38 years of experience, referring to psychotic episodes.

She’s dealt with this specific psychiatric disorder first-hand, but is not connected to the Velasco case.

“It can be very surprising, a totally healthy person who has never had any mental illness can become very psychotic,” Weinstein said.

Psychoses can also stem from any drug, she added.

“Substance-induced psychosis can be brought on by drugs that are prescribed by a doctor,” she said.

McMillin said his officers didn’t know about Velasco’s mental issues when they confronted him, but if they had known, Weinstein said you should never argue with someone in that mental state.

“That doesn’t mean you should go along with everything they say but you can’t really talk them out of what they are doing,” Weinstein said.

She added the psychoses don’t usually last long.

“Sometimes they need to be in a safe place because they could become aggressive with themselves or others,” Weinstein said.

Anti-psychotic medication can calm a person down but it is also unpredictable, Weinstein said. If someone is on drugs, using medicine can actually spark psychoses.