At least three deputies were killed Friday morning in an explosion at a police training facility in Southern California, authorities and local media reported.
The blast occurred just before 7:30 a.m. local time at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, which houses the department’s special enforcement units and bomb squad, according to local news outlet KABC-TV.
The victims were reportedly handling explosives when the incident happened, though details remain limited as the investigation is ongoing.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi described the event as a “horrific incident” and confirmed that at least three people had died. “Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more,” she wrote on the social media platform X.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the explosion. “The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with the sheriff’s department and offering full state assistance while closely monitoring the situation,” his office stated on X.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her condolences and support. “The city is supporting the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department through this horrific incident in Monterey Park. L.A. Fire Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the LAPD bomb squad are assisting at the training facility,” Bass said on X.
The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and authorities are urging the public to stay clear of the area as emergency services respond.
