Missing Grenade Sought after Blast Kills 3 Calif. Sheriff's Detectives
What to know
- A missing military-style grenade is being sought after an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility killed three detectives.
- The device was one of two recovered from a Santa Monica storage unit, and authorities initially thought both grenades were inert when they transported them for disposal before one detonated the next day.
- The ATF is leading the search for the missing grenade.
By Jessica Schladebeck
Source New York Daily News
Authorities are searching for a missing “military-style” grenade linked to an explosion that killed three Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies last week.
On July 17, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson and Explosives Detail responded to an apartment complex in Santa Monica, after a resident reported finding “two grenade-like devices” in a storage unit in an underground garage, KTLA reported.
Neighbors said they believe the devices were likely left behind by a former tenant, a member of the military who’d moved out of the apartment complex roughly five years ago.More on OFFICER.com
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- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Dets. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn were moving explosives at a training facility when the blast happened.
Following an investigation into the matter, which included X-ray scans, authorities determined the grenades were “inert.” They were then transported to the department’s explosives training facility in East Los Angeles to be destroyed.
The next day, however, one of the grenades exploded, killing detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. And while authorities believe the second explosive device did reach the facility, its whereabouts are currently unknown.
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LAPD Station Evacuated after Couple Drops Off Military Ordances
- The LAPD's bomb squad safely moved military explosive devices to a storage facility after a couple found the ordinances while cleaning out the home of a recently deceased family member.
In response, authorities have blocked access to roads around the Biscailuz Regional Training Center amid their search. So far, they’ve scoured lockers, vehicles, gyms, office spaces and the surrounding area.
“The fact is, right now, there’s a second grenade that we’re not 100% sure where it’s at,” L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters during a Friday night briefing.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is now leading the search for the missing explosive. Kenny Cooper, ATF’s special agent in charge for the L.A. field division, said officials have “meticulously examined” a radius of 400 feet from the blast site over the last few days. He added that authorities have also conducted multiple interviews in addition to serving several search warrants.
Anyone with information on the matter has been asked to call 911 or the sheriff’s department.
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