(Reuters) -An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility has killed three deputies, local media reported on Friday, though officials have yet to confirm any deaths.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said an explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training in East Los Angeles. The spokesperson said the cause was under investigation and that they were not yet ready to confirm any deaths or injuries.
The Los Angeles Times newspaper, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that three deputies were killed in the blast, which took place when a bomb squad moved some explosives.
Hilda Solis, who serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in a written statement that “my heart goes out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the three individuals who lost their lives in what appears to have been a devastating explosion.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that she had spoken with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna along with U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli “about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles.”
Bondi said that federal agents were at the scene and working to learn more.
(Reporting by Rich McKay, Brad Brooks, Maiya Keidan, Susan Heavey and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Frank McGurty and Nia Williams)
