Military explosive devices left at Pacoima LAPD station force nearby evacuations
By Elena Gomez
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — There was a major scene outside the Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Police Station in Pacoima on Saturday, where military explosive devices were reportedly dropped off by residents.
The station and neighborhood were evacuated with law enforcement on heightened alert following an explosion that killed three Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives more than a week ago.
The military ordnances were moved to a storage facility to be safely stored until the military can collect them at a later time. Ordnances are military supplies — including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.
Around 2:30 p.m., police said a couple brought military ordnances from a recently deceased family member’s home to the Foothill Police Station in Pacoima.
In the couple’s car, officers found a plastic box with several military ordnances inside. The officers immediately evacuated everyone from the police station — plus four businesses and 11 nearby homes. The area has since reopened.
The LAPD bomb squad responded and used a robot to take images of the devices.
Because they are military devices and Camp Pendleton has the closest Explosive Ordnance Device team availble, they collaborated with LAPD to determine the best next steps. They decided the devices were stable enough to move to a storage facility until the military can pick them up.
All of this comes after an explosion killed three LASD detectives as they were moving explosives at a training facility in East L.A.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said all future explosive devices will be treated as though they are alive.
“That was a tragedy, and we don’t want that to occur again, especially with our community members being so close to the police station,” said Capt. Warner Castillo with LAPD.
Castillo says if you find fireworks, ordnances, grenades, or bombs, call 911 first. Don’t try to move the devices on your own.
The explosives found are not connected to the search for a missing grenade tied to the deadly LASD blast, officials said. Luna said two grenades were recovered from a Santa Monica apartment building storage unit last Thursday. One of those grenades exploded the following day, killing the three sheriff’s detectives, but the second grenade hasn’t been found.
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