A blast shook a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training center early Friday morning, with reports indicating at least three deaths. The explosion was at the Biscailuz Centre Academy Training Facility in East Los Angeles and is being investigated.
Whereas US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that "at least three" individuals were dead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has yet to make any official confirmation about deaths or injury. Federal agents are present and cooperating with local law enforcement to learn more, Bondi said. "Please pray for the families of the sheriff's deputies killed," she wrote, referring to what she characterized as a "horrific incident.
A department official confirmed the blast but stressed that information is still sketchy and the cause of the explosion is under investigation. The explosion occurred as the facility's bomb squad was moving explosives, according to unnamed sources quoted by the Los Angeles Times. Other media, such as Fox News, reported that at least three deputies perished in the blast.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported it received a call of an explosion at about 7:30 a.m. California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed and has confirmed that the explosion occurred within the Special Operations Bureau of the LA County Sheriff's Department.
Video from KABC-TV captured the scene following the explosion in a parking lot populated with sheriff's patrol cars and box trucks.
The authorities are calling on people to desist from speculation as the probe goes on. Official updates will come later as further details emerge.
