One of two grenades involved in a deadly explosion that claimed the lives of three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives in East Los Angeles last week is unaccounted for, officials said during a news conference on Friday evening.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna provided an update regarding the fatal blast that occurred on the 1000 block of North East Avenue in East Los Angeles at the Biscailuz Training Facility last week.
As a multiagency investigation including the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives continues, Luna said that with ATF expertise and the combination of physical evidence and debris recovered at the scene officials have learned only one grenade detonated and another is unaccounted for.
The grenades were transported to the training facility after the LASD arson and explosives detail responded to a call for service in a residential complex located on the 800 block of Bay Street in Santa Monica, Luna said.
Detectives found the two hand grenade-type devices, which they believed to be inert, inside a tenant’s storage unit in an underground parking garage building, Luna added, which they were then taken to be destroyed and disposed of.
LASD detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, a Santa Clarita Valley resident, Victor Lemus and William Osborn, were killed in the blast after one of the grenades detonated.
The ATF has taken the lead in locating the missing explosive and “an extensive search of the entire training facility perimeter was conducted. This included X -raying all Special Enforcement Bureau vehicles, a grid search from the blast site and surrounding areas, and a thorough inspection of evidence, lockers, the gym, office spaces and surrounding shrubbery,” Luna said.
“We have looked at everything out there that we possibly could since Friday. We have restricted public access on the sheriff’s road … nobody from the public has had access to this area,” he said referring to the training facility. “We conducted a thorough search to locate the second device, but we haven’t found it yet,” he added.
Luna was joined by ATF Special Agent in Charge Kenny Cooper during the news conference who mentioned that a national response team with detectives from all over the country conducted dozens of interviews extensive post-blast examination of the blast scene within the first 72 hours of the tragedy.
Those efforts included a number of search warrants that were served to collect additional evidence, a dozen explosive detection canines, certified explosive specialists, and bomb technicians, he said.
“We’ve meticulously examined a radius of over 400 feet from the blast seat multiple times over the last three days,” Cooper said during the news conference, adding, “We want to emphasize the general public how dangerous these devices are. We want to ensure a community that the public safety is our utmost priority.”
Officials are urging the public to avoid touching anything that may come across and look like an explosive device, and to immediately dial 9-1-1 or contact their local law enforcement agency as they continue their efforts in locating the missing grenade. People may also contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or ATF at 888-283-8477.
Luna also stated the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is investigating the deaths of the three detectives, and resources have also been provided for the grieving families and other LASD personnel impacted by the tragedy.
The tragedy also initiated Luna to call for an independent after-action review for policies, practices and equipment as it relates to the fatal incident, so all future explosive devices, inert or not, will be treated as if they are all live, he said.
“We’re going to look at everything we could. Why? Because we need to know what happened,” Luna said. “We owe it to the families, and for God’s sake, I never want this to happen again, not only in our department, but there will be lessons learned for other departments across the country and literally, the world.”
