At least three deputies were killed and another person was injured Friday in an explosion at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Training Center, according to law enforcement sources.
The blast occurred just before 7:30 a.m. at the center on Eastern Avenue, which is home to the sheriff’s special enforcement bureau and the arson explosive detail, including the bomb squad.
The injured individual was taken to a hospital after the explosion, authorities said. Their condition was not clear.
Authorities were investigating and the cause of the blast was not immediately clear. But preliminary information indicates deputies were moving an unexploded ordinance recently recovered from a bomb call out when the blast occurred, according to two law enforcement sources.
The bomb squad typically picks up potential explosives across the region daily, but it’s a situation that’s always fraught with danger because it’s hard to assess the stability of materials and their age, the sources told The Times.
LAPD’s bomb squad responded to the scene to help render any other potential explosives safe and the immediate area has been evacuated. The FBI is also responding to the scene along with its bomb technicians, said Laura Eimiller, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles office.
Employees told The Times they heard a massive boom shortly before 7:30 a.m. coming from the parking lot where the sheriff’s bomb squad keeps its vehicles. They heard glass shattering and screaming.
Officials covered the blast area with a large tarp. About 25 yards away from the facility, the windows of an SUV cruiser were blown out by the explosion.
A sheriff’s helicopter circled over the area as multiple emergency vehicles drove into the facility. Civilian vehicles were being directed out of the parking lot.
“I am heartbroken to hear of the terrible tragedy that has unfolded today at an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department facility. I am closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. “My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Department during this difficult time. I stand with them and their families as they navigate the hours and days ahead.”
The sheriff’s department has a history of dangerous incidents occurring at its training facilities with at least four fires at its mobile shooting ranges — tractor-trailers where deputies undergo firearm training — in the last 12 years.
In 2023, two deputies suffered third-degree burns when a fire broke out in a trailer at the men’s jail at Pitchess Detention Center.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement on X that he had been briefed on the explosion. The California Office of Emergency Services is “closely monitoring the situation and has offered full state assistance.”
Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi called the situation a “horrific incident” in a statement Friday.
“Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more,” she said. “Please pray for the families of the sheriff’s deputies killed.”
The Biscailuz Training Center was used for deputy training from 1946-84 when it was closed because of a lack of space. The 36,000-square-foot training center was renovated and reopened in 2017.
Delia Sanchez, who lives nearby in City Terrace, walks Eastern Avenue every morning. The typically serene, winding road is lined with trees and allows her to walk right down to Cesar Chavez Avenue. But on Friday morning, the area was buzzing with law enforcement responding to the explosion at the training center.
“It’s peaceful here. I feel safe with them here,” she said, pointing to the training facility. “I am shocked to hear that somebody was hurt.”