A “horrific incident” on Friday morning at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles, California, resulted in the deaths of several deputies.
Sources told ABC News that the victims were Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employees killed in a blast while handling explosives. The news outlet described the Los Angeles facility as a Special Enforcement Bureau compound that also houses the bomb squad.
‘There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know.’
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that at least three are dead.
Bondi wrote in a post on X, “Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more.”
The sheriff’s department held a press conference in the early afternoon to shed some light on the incident, confirming that “three sworn members” who were on arson explosives detail were killed in a blast around 7:30 a.m.
Sheriff Robert Luna noted that the victims had served their community for 19, 22, and 33 years, respectively. He did not share their identities, stating that their families are still being notified.
“I’ve heard over and over the word ‘elite’ being used. I think sometimes that term gets overused. But if you’re familiar with our Special Enforcement Bureau, they’re the best of the best. And the individuals who work our arson explosives detail, they have years of training,” he said. “These aren’t people who don’t do this very often. They are fantastic experts, and unfortunately, I lost three of them today.”
Luna reported that there were no other injuries.
“There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know,” Luna declared.
He explained that approximately 30 minutes before the press conference, the scene was rendered safe for investigators to enter.
“Our intent is to look at this from the very beginning and figure out what is it exactly that caused this tragic event,” Luna said.
He stated that “homicide detectives are on scene” to investigate the “post-blast portion of this incident.”
Luna described the area as a “very active crime scene.”
In response to a request for clarity on Luna’s statement about the Special Enforcement Bureau being treated as a crime scene, the sheriff’s office informed Blaze News, “It’s because of the loss of life. That’s why he termed it that.”
Law enforcement agents have not yet determined the cause of the explosion but noted that it was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the community.
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