Three agents of the Los Angeles sheriff services died on Friday in a training center in the east of the city, because of an explosion which seems accidental, according to a local elected representative.
“Unfortunately, three members of our unit in charge of criminal fires and explosives were killed,” said Sheriff Robert Luna at a midday press conference.
“We do not know the cause of the explosion,” he added, adding that it had taken place “shortly after 7:30 am”.
The sheriff spoke of an “isolated event”. He refused to comment, explaining that a Los Angeles police demining team had spent the morning defusing explosive devices on site.
“We have just secured the premises,” he said, warning that the investigation was going to take time.
According to the Los Angeles Times, citing police sources, the agents were moving an explosive device exfiltrated after a bomb call, when the detonation occurred.
Municipal councilor Kathryn Barger, elected at the head of the constituency where the explosion took place, wanted to reassure the hypothesis of an attack.
– “Tragic accident” –
“It is clear to me that this tragic accident was precisely only that, an accident,” said the Democrat on the Ktla channel, adding that she had spoken directly to the colleagues of deceased agents.
The unit to which the three agents belonged is made up of “fantastic experts” in terms of explosives, which are “the best among the best” said the sheriff Luna.
The members of the unit “followed years of training” and “respond to around 1,100 calls per year on average for very dangerous situations or objects,” he insisted. “So these are not people who practice little.”
The three deceased agents, who have not been identified, have worked for 19, 22 and 33 years respectively in the Los Angeles sheriff services, he added. According to him, their death is “the greatest human loss for the Sheriff’s Department of the County of Los Angeles since 1857”.
The investigation currently includes agents of the alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives office (ATF), the competent federal agency in this area, but also inspectors specializing in homicides, said sheriff.
– “Terrible event” –
On the spot, the Los Angeles police deployed a demining truck in the parking lot where the drama took place, next to another truck covered with a tent, likely to contain neutralized explosives in the morning, noted an AFP photographer.
FBI agents are also on the scene, said the Minister of Justice, Pam Bondi.
“Please pray for the entire Sheriff department of the County of Los Angeles,” she asked on X.
The office of the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, explained in a message on X that the Democrat had “been informed of the explosion reported to the Special Operations Office of the County of Los Angeles”. Its services “closely monitor the situation”.
“The thoughts of all” the inhabitants of Los Angeles “go to all the people affected by this explosion,” said the mayor, Karen Bass, deploring “a terrible event” on X.
According to Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles sheriff services have experienced several accidents in recent years. At least four fires have taken place in semi-trailers where agents are formed in the past 12 years, according to daily life.
Posted on July 18 at 10:51 p.m. AFP