Three deputies killed in explosion at LA County training facility

An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility in East Los Angeles on Friday morning resulted in the deaths of at least three deputies and injured at least one other person.

The incident occurred just before 7:30 AM local time.

The blast took place at the Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training, a compound that houses specialized units, including the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau and its Arson/Explosives Detail, which includes the bomb squad. Law enforcement sources, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, indicated that a bomb squad was in the process of moving explosive ordnance when the explosion occurred.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated on social media, "Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more." She later confirmed agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are "on the ground to support" the investigation.

Aerial footage from local news affiliates, including KABC-TV, showed a section of the parking lot at the facility covered by a large tarp, with visible damage to nearby vehicles. Employees at the facility reportedly heard a "massive boom" just before 7:30 AM from the parking lot area where bomb squad vehicles are typically kept, followed by glass shattering.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated that the LAPD bomb squad has also responded to assist at the scene. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office confirmed he has been briefed on the situation, with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services offering "full state assistance" to the Sheriff's Department.

The identities of the deputies killed have not been released, pending notification of next of kin. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion.