Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department serves search warrant in connection with explosion that killed 3 deputies
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Monday in Marina del Rey as it searches for answers after three longtime deputies died in an explosion last week.
The warrant was executed in the 13900 block of Marquesas Way in Marina del Rey. The LASD said the warrant was served to follow "all leads and evidence" into the origins of devices that were found in Santa Monica on Thursday, the night before the fatal blast.
The area where the search took place is located on the Marina del Rey Marina and contains apartment buildings and businesses, with hundreds of boats docked around the perimeter on the water. It's not yet clear what buildings were searched, and if anything crucial to the investigation was found.
Authorities confirmed that on Thursday night, LASD investigators were called to assist the Santa Monica Police Department with a report of possible explosive materials in the 800 block of Bay Street in Santa Monica. There, detectives recovered items that appeared to be grenades, the department said.
On Friday, after the explosion, senior law enforcement officials who were briefed on the investigation told CBS News that the grenades were transported to Biscailuz Training Facility. There, members of the highly skilled and trained Arson Explosives Detail were working to render the grenades safe when the explosion occurred, the officials said.
The Sheriff's Department later identified the fallen deputies as detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn.
The LASD stopped short of fully connecting the grenades to the fatal explosion on Monday, saying investigators were continuing to "conduct their post-blast investigation and reconstruct the incident scene" before drawing a conclusion.
"These investigations take time, and we are committed to conducting a thorough examination to accurately determine the cause," the LASD said in Monday's news release.
Monday's search warrant was at least the second served since the explosion. In the hours following the blast, the Santa Monica garage where the grenades were found in was searched, the LASD said.
No additional details were immediately made available.
