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.
Three sheriff’s deputies were killed in an accidental explosion at LASD’s Biscailuz Training Center in Monterey Park, which is about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles, police said.
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.”
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a statement, “I am heartbroken to hear of the terrible tragedy that has unfolded today at an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department facility.”
Barger said she’s monitoring the situation as officials learn more about what happened.
“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.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14756832/los-angeles-explosion-lasd-killed/