California workplace safety officials have determined that a fatal grenade blast that claimed the lives of three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies last year resulted from multiple serious safety violations within the department.
The state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health handed down eight citations in January, totaling roughly $350,000 in penalties. Department officials are challenging these citations, state representatives confirmed. The Los Angeles Times initially broke news of the investigation findings.
The tragic incident occurred in July 2025 at a department training facility parking lot, claiming the lives of arson and explosives team detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. The incident ranks among the department’s most devastating single-event casualties.
One day before the fatal explosion, the specialized team had retrieved two grenades from a Santa Monica apartment building. Sheriff Robert Luna explained that the detectives conducted X-ray examinations of the devices and determined they appeared to be inactive.
At least one grenade was transported to an LASD training location, where the deadly detonation occurred. Luna revealed a week following the tragedy that the second grenade had gone missing, and department officials continue searching for answers regarding its whereabouts.
Department representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment about the citations.
In communications with the Los Angeles Times, a sheriff’s department spokesperson indicated they were cooperating with state investigators within legal boundaries while other inquiries remain active.
State investigators discovered the sheriff’s department had failed to address dangerous workplace conditions and procedures involving explosive materials handling, while also falling short on training effectiveness. The department did not ensure personnel wore appropriate protective gear when working with explosives, failed to maintain proper training documentation, and did not adequately assess risks associated with transporting and storing explosive substances.
Additionally, explosive materials were abandoned without supervision and improperly stored or placed in inappropriate containers during manual transport, according to state Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokesperson Denisse Gómez.
“This tragedy underscores the responsibility employers have to anticipate hazards and take meaningful steps to protect workers, especially in high-risk operations involving explosive materials,” Gómez said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Division also filed a lawsuit against the LASD in January for failing to cooperate with the investigation and withholding subpoenaed materials.
When state officials initially requested training documentation, dispatch records, incident reports concerning the grenades, and safety inspection files, the LASD provided only minimal documentation, with one document heavily censored, the lawsuit states.
Following a formal subpoena for additional materials, the LASD delivered a restricted collection of documents addressing just two of nineteen requested categories, according to the legal filing.
In their legal response, sheriff’s department officials argued that state investigators delayed their document requests for months, leaving insufficient time for compliance. They also stated that the bomb squad utilized FBI training materials that could not be released without compromising public safety and national security, requiring direct requests to federal authorities, court documents show.
