State regulators identified a series of safety violations by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that contributed to a 2025 grenade explosion at an East Los Angeles training facility that killed three deputies, and the department was fined more than $350,000, it was reported Wednesday.
Citing a review of state records that have not been publicly released, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, issued eight citations as a result of its investigation into the blast, including a failure to provide effective training and leaving explosives unattended.
Cal/OSHA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
According to The Times, the sheriff’s department is appealing the decision.
“The sheriff’s department is continuing to cooperate 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 (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) second device investigation,” the department said in a statement to The Times.
The paper reported, however, that Cal/OSHA went to court in January in an effort to force the sheriff’s department to turn over documents and other information related to the explosion, saying the agency’s failure to do so was impeding the state probe.
The July 18, 2025, explosion at the department’s Biscailuz Regional Training Center in East Los Angeles killed sheriff’s detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. Sheriff’s officials said one of two grenades that had been found the previous day at a Santa Monica apartment building detonated, killing the trio.
Investigations were continuing into the cause of the explosion, and into the disappearance of the second grenade, which could not be located after the blast and remains unaccounted for.
Last week, the sheriff’s department confirmed that it was conducting an internal investigation into the possible sharing of gruesome photos taken by one or more deputies at the scene of the explosion.
“The department is aware of the photo allegations and there is an ongoing investigation,” according to a sheriff’s department statement provided to City News Service. “If the investigation reveals evidence that misconduct occurred and policies were violated, then the appropriate action will be taken.”
The department also verified that a department commander — identified by The Times as Cmdr. Thomas Giandomenico — has been relieved of duty in connection with the probe. According to The Times, he is a 38-year department veteran.
“The employee was relieved of duty on September 11, 2025, pending the outcome of an internal criminal investigation,” according to the sheriff’s department.
News of the investigation came the same week that Lemus’ widow filed a damages claim — the precursor to a lawsuit — against the department and county, alleging a series of missteps by sheriff’s personnel in the retrieval and handling of the grenades.