Latest news with #ArsonAndExplosivesUnit
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Al Arabiya
A grenade is missing from the scene of an explosion that killed 3 LA deputies
A grenade is missing from the scene of an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility that killed three members of its arson and explosives unit, authorities said Friday. At the time of the July 18 blast, the veteran deputies were working on two grenades that had been taken into custody by authorities. One of the grenades detonated, and the other is unaccounted for, Sheriff Robert Luna said, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The agency is investigating the explosion and is expected to publish a final report in 45 days. Luna said authorities X-rayed special enforcement bureau vehicles, searched all around the blast area, and examined office spaces and even the gym and haven't found it. 'You get the drift. We have looked at everything out there that we possibly could,' he said, adding that no one from the public has had access to the area. The day before the explosion, members of the Sheriff's Department's arson and explosives unit arrived at an apartment in Santa Monica after someone who lived there said they found what appeared to be two hand grenades in a tenant's storage unit in the underground parking garage, Luna said. The detectives X-rayed the devices and believed they were inert or inactive. The devices were then taken to be destroyed and rendered safe at the Biscailuz Training Facility, he said. Luna said that since the explosion, he has called for an independent review of the policies and practices of the arson and explosives team and has already changed how they handle these types of situations. 'All future explosive devices, inert or not, will be treated as if they are all live and will be disposed of accordingly,' he said. The deaths early Friday marked the department's worst loss of life in a single incident since 1857, when four officers were killed by gunfire, Luna said. The department identified the deputies who died as Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Detective Victor Lemus, and Detective William Osborn. They served 19, 22, and 33 years in the department respectively, Luna said.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- The Independent
Investigators exploring whether grenades found at apartment caused blast that killed 3 LA deputies
Authorities are looking into whether grenades recovered from a Santa Monica apartment complex caused an explosion last week at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility that killed three members of its arson and explosives unit. Investigators served a search warrant Monday morning at an address in the Marina del Rey neighborhood. The department didn't say what, if anything, was found as detectives chase leads following the deadly blast early Friday at the Biscailuz Training Facility. Officials said they are exploring whether there may be a connection to the discovery on Thursday of grenades at an apartment complex in Santa Monica, a few miles north of Marina del Rey. The three members of the arson and explosives team responded that day to assist local police. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the deaths marked the department's worst loss of life in a single incident since 1857, when four officers were killed by gunfire. Those killed on Friday were identified by the department as Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Detective Victor Lemus and Detective William Osborn. They served 19, 22 and 33 years in the department respectively, Luna said. The deaths are being investigated by the department's homicide detectives, with the assistance of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Luna said Friday that it took more than four hours to render the scene safe and the deaths were being investigated by the department's homicide detectives, with the assistance of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. No one else was injured, he said. The sheriff said the arson and explosives team undergoes in-depth training and responds to more than 1,000 calls a year.
