Three officers were killed in an explosion at a law enforcement training facility in East Los Angeles, officials say.
The blast occurred at around 07:30 local time (15:30 BST) on Friday at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, which houses the Sheriff’s department’s special enforcement bureau and arson explosives detail, including the bomb squad.
The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but Sheriff Robert Luna of the LASD described it as “an isolated incident”. There were no additional injuries.
The three officers killed in the blast were “fantastic experts” and veterans of the department, each serving between 19 to 33 years, the sheriff said.
Authorities have not released the names of the deceased officers, citing the need to notify their families first. All three were assigned to the sheriff department’s arson explosives detail.
Friday’s incident represents the department’s largest loss of life in a single incident since its founding in 1857, Sheriff Luna said.
“We have to go back and investigate what happened from the very beginning,” he said. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi called the incident “horrific” and said federal agents had been deployed on the scene and “working to learn more”.
Authorities say the explosion took place in the parking lot of the facility’s special enforcement bureau.
US media, citing sources, report that officers were handling an unexploded ordnance recovered from a recent bomb disposal call when it detonated.
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 Los Angeles Times reported citing law enforcement sources.
The area surrounding the facility was evacuated and has since been sealed off as investigators continue to work at the scene.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed about the explosion and he is “closely monitoring the situation”, his office said in a statement on X.
Newsom’s office added that state assistance has also been offered to help respond to the incident.
Kathryn Barger, Chief of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a statement that she is “closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected”.
“My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Department during this difficult time,” she said.