Grenade deaths of L.A. County deputies involved 'willful' safety violations, state finds

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A state investigation into how three Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad detectives were killed by a grenade in a department parking lot has found a series of “willful” safety violations, including failure to provide effective training and explosives that were left unattended leading up to the incident last year.A California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigation into the July 18 blast resulted in eight citations and more than $350,000 in fines, according to records from the state agency reviewed by The Times.The Sheriff’s Department said it has appealed the findings.

Beyond the Cal/OSHA investigation, which has not previously been detailed publicly, attorneys for the state allege the Sheriff’s Department has impeded the workplace safety inquiry and refused to hand over vital documents, according to court filings in an ongoing dispute between the two agencies.The explosion at the Biscailuz Center Training Academy killed Dets.Victor Lemus, Joshua Kelley-Eklund and William Osborn.

Kelley-Eklund and Osborn had recovered two grenades from a Santa Monica apartment complex.The following day, at least one of the grenades was taken to the facility when it detonated.

The whereabouts of the second grenade are still unknown.California A high-ranking sheriff’s official has been relieved of duty in connection with the internal investigation, according to a department spokesperson.In a statement, a sheriff’s spokesperson maintained the department was complying with Cal/OSHA to the extent allowed under the law as other investigations remain ongoing.

“The Sheriff’s Department is continuing to cooperating with CAL OSHA’s investigation, taking into account that two active criminal investigations are ongoing — the Sheriff’s Department death investigation and the ATF’s second device investigation,” the statement read — the latter a reference to...