Latest news with #BiscailuzCenter
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
One of the grenades recovered ahead of blast that killed 3 L.A. deputies is missing, authorities say
One of the two hand grenades found in a Santa Monica townhome complex ahead of the deadly blast that killed three Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives is currently missing, authorities said Friday. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has determined that one of the two grenades detonated on July 18, "and one of the grenades is unaccounted for at this time," Sheriff Robert Luna said. "We conducted a thorough search to locate the second device, but we haven't found it yet," he said during a briefing. The ATF, which is investigating the blast, will also assume "full control into investigating the whereabouts of this other device that is missing," he added. According to law enforcement sources, investigators learned one of the grenades was missing when they could only find one of the 'spoons' — suggesting only one grenade had exploded at the scene. The bomb squad retrieved the two hand grenades left behind — apparently by a previous tenant — in an underground parking garage storage unit at the complex at 821 Bay St. on the night of July 17 and took them to the Biscailuz Center Training Academy. The next day, one of the grenades exploded as the technicians were handling them in the parking lot. The blast was the single deadliest incident for the department in more than 150 years, killing department veterans Dets. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. Officials searched a boat docked in Marina del Rey on Monday and storage lockers on Tuesday and Wednesday that law enforcement sources told The Times are tied to a person who previously served in the U.S. military. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
Santa Monica apartment is focus of probe into blast that killed 3 L.A. County sheriff's deputies
Authorities investigating the deadly blast at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility are looking into connections to some explosives collected in Santa Monica. Three deputies were killed Friday in an explosion at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East L.A. while handling explosive materials. No cause for the blast has been determined. But the probe brought investigators Friday to an apartment complex in the 800 block of Bay Street in Santa Monica in connection with the explosion, according to department spokesperson Nicole Nishida. The three deputies killed in the blast responded to a call to assist the Santa Monica Police Department at the complex on Thursday. Read more: 'Best of the best': What we know about the 3 L.A. County sheriff's detectives killed in explosion A grenade was recovered at the Santa Monica apartment complex Thursday, a city police officer told The Times. Sources who were not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that investigators are trying to determine if the explosives were the ones that caused the blast. Michael Kellman, who lives in the building, told The Times that a fellow tenant called the police Thursday after discovering a bag of grenades tucked away in her storage unit. She has been living in the building for several years and believes the bag was left behind by the former occupant, he said. Authorities returned to her unit Friday to scour the apartment for any remaining explosives. The Santa Monica Police Department evacuated residents from the Bay Street apartment building Friday afternoon, while authorities continue to search the location for any additional explosive material, Nishida said. The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department's bomb squad are assisting with the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected to lead a federal probe into the cause of the explosion. Read more: 3 L.A. County sheriff's deputies killed in explosion ID'd; investigators search Santa Monica apartment Nancy, who lives on Bay Street and chose not to provide a last name for privacy reasons, said officers knocked on her door late Friday afternoon and informed her that there was an 'active investigation' and she must evacuate. Nancy asked an officer whether her nanny would be able to move their car, which was in front of her home. 'No one is allowed,' the officer told her. Friday morning, employees told The Times they heard a massive boom around 7:30 a.m. coming from the parking lot where the sheriff's bomb squad keeps its vehicles. They heard glass shattering and screaming. Rich Pippin, president of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, called it the 'worst day in the history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.' 'You never get up in the morning expecting this kind of news, never, and sadly, as often as we deal with this, it does not get easier,' he said. 'It never gets easier. It hurts.' The deputies were identified Friday evening as Dets. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. They had served 19, 22 and 33 years with the department, respectively, authorities said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
18-07-2025
- CTV News
Blast at training facility kills 3 L.A. deputies in one of department's worst losses of life
L.A. County Sheriff's deputies stand outside the Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, where three deputies were killed during a training accident, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) A Friday blast at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility killed three members of its arson and explosives unit, marking one of the department's worst losses of life from a single incident, the sheriff said. All three were veteran deputies. The department hasn't said what they were doing at the time of the blast or what caused it. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the arson and explosives team undergoes in-depth training and responds to more than 1,000 calls a year. The deputies had served 19, 22 and 33 years in the department, Luna said. 'They have years of training,' the sheriff said at a news conference. 'They are fantastic experts and, unfortunately, I lost three of them today.' The explosion was reported about 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Training Facility, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said. Aerial footage from KABC-TV shows the explosion happened in a parking lot filled with sheriff's patrol cars and box trucks. Three covered bodies could be seen near a truck with a ramp attached to a side door. A patrol cruiser parked nearby had its rearview mirror shattered by the blast. Luna said it took more than four hours to render the scene safe and 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. No one else was injured in the explosion, he said. An early line of investigation was looking at a possible training accident, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. In a post on X, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the explosion 'appears to be a horrific incident' and federal agents are at the scene to learn more. 'Please pray for the families of the sheriff's deputies killed,' Bondi wrote. I just spoke to @USAttyEssayli about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles. Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more. Please pray for the families of the sheriff's… — Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) July 18, 2025 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, and noted that he couldn't release the deputies' names because he had yet to speak to one of the families. 'I have met with two of three families thus far. Those were extremely challenging conversations,' Luna said, his voice breaking. Arson investigators from the Los Angeles Fire Department and members of the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad were also assisting the investigation at the training facility, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X. The City of L.A. is supporting the @LASDHQ through this horrific incident in Monterey Park. LAFD/ATF arson investigators and members of the LAPD bomb squad are assisting at the training facility. The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast. — Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 18, 2025 California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said he's been briefed and that the Governor's Office of Emergency Services is in contact with the Sheriff's Department and closely monitoring the situation. He later posted on X that members of the State Fire Marshal were helping with the investigation at the request of the ATF. Jason Zabala, a deputy who is a member of the sheriff's department SWAT team, called the deputies who died 'the best of the best.' 'When you sign up for the job, you know it's going to be a dangerous job. As the years goes on, you realize how dangerous it is,' he said. By Etienne Laurent, Eric Tucker And Olga R. Rodriguez Tucker reported from Washington and Rodriguez from San Francisco.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
Three killed in explosion at LA Sheriff's Department training facility
Three police officers were killed in an explosion at a County Sheriff's Department training facility in East Los Angeles, officials explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training on Friday morning at around 07:30 local time (15:30 BST), according to first the deaths in a post on X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a "horrific incident" and said that federal agents have been deployed on the scene and are "working to learn more".It was unclear what caused the explosion or if there were any more victims. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
CBS News
18-07-2025
- CBS News
Explosion at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility leaves 3 deputies dead
Three deputies were killed on Friday morning after an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility, the department confirmed. The explosion was reported at about 7:27 a.m., according to the L.A. County Fire Department. The cause of the explosion was not revealed as of 8:50 a.m. The believed explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Training Academy, which is located adjacent to the 710 Freeway and just south of the 10 Freeway and CSULA campus in East Los Angeles. The facility opened in 2017. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
