At least 3 dead after explosion at LASD training facility
- Thread starter Im2bent
- Start date
If the three deceased were Conservatives or Conservative-Libertarians: Rest in peace.
"Preliminary information indicates deputies were moving an unexploded ordnance recently recovered from a bomb callout when the blast occurred, according to two law enforcement sources. The sources stressed that the investigation is ongoing."
At least 3 deputies killed in explosion at L.A. County sheriff’s training facility
At least three deputies were killed Friday in an explosion at the Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Training Center in East Los Angeles.
www.latimes.com
Glad I’m not the only one that thinks like that.
Sorrows for the family of the 3 deceased. I'm not minimalizing that.
But I also have to add "specially trained personnel"...... ain't always the right way. Think of THAT when discussing firearms ownership, too.
But I also have to add "specially trained personnel"...... ain't always the right way. Think of THAT when discussing firearms ownership, too.
What part of this doesn't make any sense? They had it in the SUV? With the "Bomb Truck" next to it? It only blew out the rear window of the SUV but no other windows of the SUV and killed all 3? Why would they have moved ordnance in a standard vehicle if it was still "live"?"Preliminary information indicates deputies were moving an unexploded ordnance recently recovered from a bomb callout when the blast occurred, according to two law enforcement sources. The sources stressed that the investigation is ongoing."
At least 3 deputies killed in explosion at L.A. County sheriff’s training facility
At least three deputies were killed Friday in an explosion at the Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Training Center in East Los Angeles.
19, 22, & 33 years experience. Something isn't being told.
Typical bomb truck's not armored, it's just a box truck that hauls gear. Unknown suspect packages get transported in the blast vessels that you see towed behind the truck but if the Deputies had identified whatever they were working with as a known piece of ordnance, their SOP could have allowed for transport from bunker to range in a cruiser.
The updated article mentions grenades. Grenades wound/kill primarily by projecting fragmentation at high velocity. One going off (and the one could have caused others to detonate sympathetically) in the close confines of a vehicle also introduces over-pressure to the mix. You're not going to look pretty coming out of there.
(The article also says "glass was scattered across the parking lot from the windows of an SUV cruiser that were blown out by the explosion," not a window.)
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The article I linked was updated with:
"A grenade was recovered at the Santa Monica apartment complex Thursday, a city police officer told The Times.
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."
Would be a major fuck-up if they were working under the assumption that it was inert but with 3 sets of eyes, I couldn't imagine how it'd be missed.
How does one discover a bag of grenades in their storage locker?
Major mishandling of ordnance by police, terrible that 3 officers died from it.
Ever heard of storage wars? The violence has escalated
In other news
LASD is taking applications for an couple open positions.
Experienced EOD tech
Qualifications required:
Five years minimum experience
Law enforcement certified
Ten fingers and ten toes (must be attached to your hands and feet)
LASD is taking applications for an couple open positions.
Experienced EOD tech
Qualifications required:
Five years minimum experience
Law enforcement certified
Ten fingers and ten toes (must be attached to your hands and feet)
Soo...mandatory safety brief @0530?
A lot were brought home from ww2 through VN and even after stolen off bases for… reasons. Little old ladies find them in closets, footlockers and garages all the time. So do kids cleaning out parents homes.
A WW2 pineapple could be really unstable. If it has a plug in the bottom, it is not inert. If it was a souvenir (esp Japanese) they had no spoon. You primed it by hitting it in the ground or your helmet. Those can look inert but are really unstable and dangerous. Same with Jap mortar bombs for their knee mortars.
My first thought was Antifa device. My bet is little old lady with grenades her husband, father, son brought back from war zone and stashed in a closet.
Sad for the officers. Unfortunately, EOD is a dangerous profession.
Sirhr
Yeah, but...
I know of a young Marine who died doing the by-the-book render-safe on a submunition during an organized range clearance out at 29 Palms, detonated in his hands and he caught the jet of the shaped-charge in the chest.
It's been so long that I don't remember his full name. Semper Fi, Sergeant.
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Anti tamper devices can be added to anything. Nothing routine about anything with the way things are progressing, now.
In 2018 when I was doing the conflict archaeology trip at Monte Cassino, one of our areas of exploration was on top of Monte la Difensa. That's where the 1st Special Services fought their December battle on Kesselring's Winter line. One of my roles on the trip was identifying ammunition, ordnance, casings, spent bullets, etc. My buddy Jim and I were two of the military advisors. Not EOD or trained to 'do' anything. But we knew enough from working in Combles France and other place to know what to steer folks away from and give the daily "Don't touch' lectures!
When we went up Monte Difensa we had an Italian guide who ran his own little museum that was full of stuff he had collected since he was a kid. We found quite a few laagers (Stone firing points). Some German STG-44 cases. The Fallschurmjager had been there and they had the new "Assault Rifles" Sturm-Gewehr's... so cases were here and there. One smashed STG magazine. Some American brass and a grenade spoon. Everything was well preserved as the mountain was dry and cold.
It's when we found the US Grenade in a crevice in the rocks that things were a bit dicey. I got called over had everyone back away to just leave it. We were going to put up tape get a GPS reading and notify Italian EOD. Then Italian guide came over and saw the grenade. With a big grin... Picked it up and put it in his jeans pocket!!! Happy as a clam with his new find!! Right in front of all of us. Our 'leader' didn't want to piss off the guide by telling him it was dangerous. So we all just stayed a long ways back from him!!! He didn't blow up.
I have a picture of the grenade somewhere! Looked like it was right out of supply! Here's one of the pictures from the Mountain. Not one of mine... from their Web Site.
When we went up Monte Difensa we had an Italian guide who ran his own little museum that was full of stuff he had collected since he was a kid. We found quite a few laagers (Stone firing points). Some German STG-44 cases. The Fallschurmjager had been there and they had the new "Assault Rifles" Sturm-Gewehr's... so cases were here and there. One smashed STG magazine. Some American brass and a grenade spoon. Everything was well preserved as the mountain was dry and cold.
It's when we found the US Grenade in a crevice in the rocks that things were a bit dicey. I got called over had everyone back away to just leave it. We were going to put up tape get a GPS reading and notify Italian EOD. Then Italian guide came over and saw the grenade. With a big grin... Picked it up and put it in his jeans pocket!!! Happy as a clam with his new find!! Right in front of all of us. Our 'leader' didn't want to piss off the guide by telling him it was dangerous. So we all just stayed a long ways back from him!!! He didn't blow up.
I have a picture of the grenade somewhere! Looked like it was right out of supply! Here's one of the pictures from the Mountain. Not one of mine... from their Web Site.
There is a guy on YouTube ex military, he told a story of when he told a new guy to go and gather up some grenades. The new guy put them all in a bag, then walks over and starts to shake the bag out into another container. One of the pins pulled an he blew himself up. The guy telling the story was upset and regrets he wasn't more specific in how to do it.
www.uxoinfo.com 30 June 2025
Reportedly, when the grenades were initially reported, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad responded and identified the grenades as "inert" after an examination which included x-rays. Allegedly, deputies were attempting to dismantle the grenades so that they could be used as instructional tools for educating other deputies on the function of such ordnance when the explosion occurred.
An investigation from the ATF determined that two grenades were initially recovered, examined and x-rayed prior to being held stored overnight at the LASD's Biscailuz Training Facility. The following morning, one of the grenades detonated in the course of being "dismantled" killing three deputies. The second hand grenade remained unaccounted for, prompting an extensive investigation.
In the week following the deadly explosion, however, the ATF and LASD were not able to locate the second grenade. The sheriff's department has restricted access to the road leading to the parking lot where the blast occurred. Authorities have searched a radius of at least 400 feet around the explosion site for the missing grenade.
The type/nomenclature of the hand grenades involved were not released. The incident remains under investigation and although tragic, it does raise questions / concerns within the bomb disposal community on proper training and tactics for dealing with military munitions. The unfortunate incident was likely avoidable had a proper ID of the ordnance been made when the items were initially investigated.
The deputies were identified as Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. They had served 19, 22 and 33 years with the department, respectively. The explosion is being investigated as a negligent homicide, which could result in charges against the person who initially illegally stored the grenades at the apartment complex. the grenades at the apartment complex.
UXO Causes Tragic Loss of Three Police Deputies
Los Angeles County, California A tragic explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) training facility resulting in the deaths of three deputies. The incident occurred when technicians were reportedly dismantling two military hand grenades discovered in an underground garage at an apartment complex in Santa Monica.Reportedly, when the grenades were initially reported, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad responded and identified the grenades as "inert" after an examination which included x-rays. Allegedly, deputies were attempting to dismantle the grenades so that they could be used as instructional tools for educating other deputies on the function of such ordnance when the explosion occurred.
An investigation from the ATF determined that two grenades were initially recovered, examined and x-rayed prior to being held stored overnight at the LASD's Biscailuz Training Facility. The following morning, one of the grenades detonated in the course of being "dismantled" killing three deputies. The second hand grenade remained unaccounted for, prompting an extensive investigation.
In the week following the deadly explosion, however, the ATF and LASD were not able to locate the second grenade. The sheriff's department has restricted access to the road leading to the parking lot where the blast occurred. Authorities have searched a radius of at least 400 feet around the explosion site for the missing grenade.
The type/nomenclature of the hand grenades involved were not released. The incident remains under investigation and although tragic, it does raise questions / concerns within the bomb disposal community on proper training and tactics for dealing with military munitions. The unfortunate incident was likely avoidable had a proper ID of the ordnance been made when the items were initially investigated.
The deputies were identified as Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. They had served 19, 22 and 33 years with the department, respectively. The explosion is being investigated as a negligent homicide, which could result in charges against the person who initially illegally stored the grenades at the apartment complex. the grenades at the apartment complex.
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