L.A. Deputies killed while cutting grenade in half

Last week, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Arson and Explosives Unit were called to an apartment building in Santa Monica, where they found two military grenades. According to reports, the grenades had allegedly been stolen during training by a former member of the U.S. military and stored at the location. The officers recovered the grenades, examined them with X-rays at the scene, and determined they were inert—meaning they posed no risk of explosion. They then loaded them into their truck and transported them to their unit headquarters in East Los Angeles.

The next morning, at the Biscailuz Training Center, the officers decided to cut one of the grenades in half as part of a training exercise, believing it to be safe. That was when the device unexpectedly exploded, killing three experienced detectives: Joshua Kelley‑Eklund (19 years of service), Victor Lemus (22 years), and William Osborn (33 years). Sheriff Robert Luna called the tragedy the department’s greatest single-incident loss of life since its founding in 1857.

The explosion has sparked a broad investigation, which now includes an operation at a warehouse and vessels in Marina del Rey, where authorities are searching for more explosives and clues about the origin of the grenades. The investigation involves the FBI, ATF, LAPD Bomb Squad, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, and the State Sheriff’s Office. Governor Gavin Newsom has also been briefed on the incident.

Preliminary findings point to a tragic accident caused by a misjudgment in assuming the grenades were not live. The incident has caused widespread shock across Los Angeles County and has reignited concerns over the handling and storage of explosive materials in civilian facilities.