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AT least three people have been killed in an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility.
Officials raced to the scene after explosives went off next to a vehicle just before 7:30 am on Friday.
An accidental explosion claimed the lives of three sheriff’s deputies at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Training Center, located in Monterey Park, roughly seven miles from downtown Los Angeles, according to police reports.
A bomb squad was moving some explosives onto a training base when the blast occurred, a source told the Los Angeles Times.
The compound houses the sheriff’s department’s bomb squad.
The FBI and the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the scene.
Aerial footage by NBC affiliate KTLA showed police cars at the facility with their windshields and windows shattered.
A backpack can be seen in the parking lot near a cluster of trucks.
Over the trucks, a tarp also appeared to be damaged.
Initially, the sheriff’s office only said that there was a “loud noise” before officials confirmed the explosion.
LASD later issued a statement calling the explosion a “critical workplace incident,” according to NBC News.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
Governor Gavin Newsom offered “full state assistance” to the sheriff’s department.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she spoke to the US Attorney about the “horrific incident.”
“Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more,” Bondi wrote on X.
“Please pray for the families of the sheriff’s deputies killed.”
Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, expressed her sorrow with a statement: “I am devastated by the tragic event that happened today at an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department site.”
Barger said she’s monitoring the situation as officials learn more about what happened.
LASD’s statement
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued the following statement after this morning’s explosion:
The incident occurred this morning around 7:30 am in the 1000 block of North Eastern Avenue in East Los Angeles, specifically at the Biscailuz Training Facility.
Tragically, there were three Department member fatalities. Sheriff’s homicide detectives are on scene.
The FBI LA, ATF are assisting LASD. This is still an active scene and further details will be forthcoming.
Source: NBC News
“My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Department during this difficult time,” Barger said.
“We stand with them and their families as they navigate the hours and days ahead.”
Shortly after the tragedy, the official X account of the Los Angeles Police Department posted a picture of an LAPD badge with a black mourning band over it to honor the dead officers.
The killed deputies haven’t been publicly identified yet.
It’s unclear what caused the explosion or if anyone else was hurt in the blast.
LASD didn’t immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Pam Bondi’s statement
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued the following statement after an explosion at Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Training Center killed three sheriff’s deputies on Friday:
I just spoke to [US Attorney Bill Essayli] 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 deputies killed.
Source: X
