Investigators who are examining the cause of the deadly explosion at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department facility in East LA are now looking into another location in Marina del Rey for a possible connection.
Sheriff’s homicide investigators along with officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Los Angeles Police Department served a search warrant at the 13900 Block of Marquesas Way in Marina Del Rey Monday morning as they follow leads on the origin of the explosive devices that were collected and eventually led to the fatal blast, the LA County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
The latest search came three days after a search warrant was executed at a Santa Monica residence in the area of Bay Street and Lincoln Avenue. The search led to the recovery of explosive materials, including grenades, according to the sheriff’s department.
Two hand grenades were also recovered Thursday after a renter at the property reported finding them inside a storage unit to Santa Monica police. The LASD bomb squad removed two hand grenades, determined to be inert, from the complex, according to Santa Monica police.
Law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles last week that the three deputies killed in the explosion were dealing with small “military-style devices” that were inspected or X-rayed. But it was not immediately clear what happened right before the blast.
The explosion happened when those devices were brought out into the parking lot of the training facility in East LA.
The deputies were thrown a significant distance from the blast.
Neighbors also told NBCLA the explosion was loud and rattled the community.
The three deputies killed in the explosion were identifiedfied as Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn, the department announced.
They were all assigned to Special Enforcement Bureau’s Arson Explosives Detail, with more than seven decades of experience collectively.