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3d ago

Probe Finds Grenades Deemed Inert Before Deadly LASD Training Explosion

Search warrants executed in Santa Monica, Marina del Rey with ATF, LAPD, FBI support aim to trace a military-style grenade’s origin.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna wears a band over his badge after three members of the department were killed in an explosion at a training facility on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Sheriff's deputies stand along a procession route near where an explosion at a training facility killed three deputies on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gets a hug from Supervisor Kathryn Barger as he arrives for a press conference after three members of the department were killed in an explosion at a training facility on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Overview

  • A search warrant affidavit obtained Wednesday reveals that bomb squad technicians X-rayed military-style grenades recovered in a Santa Monica storage unit and believed the devices were inert before moving them to the Biscailuz Training Academy.
  • On July 18 at the East Los Angeles facility, a grenade detonated during handling and killed Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn in the LASD’s most lethal single incident since 1857.
  • Investigators have executed follow-up warrants at the Santa Monica storage complex, a Marina del Rey boat and additional storage units linked to a former tenant.
  • The LASD homicide bureau is leading the probe with assistance from the ATF, LAPD and FBI, and the ATF’s National Response Team is reconstructing the blast.
  • Officials caution that determining why the devices were misidentified and assessing bomb-squad handling protocols could take weeks or months.