One man in custody and six injured after explosive device detonated at Santa Maria Courthouse
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A man is in custody and six people are in the hospital after an improvised explosive device was detonated at the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in Santa Maria Wednesday morning.
Sandy Doucette, a spokesperson for Dignity Health which operates Marian Regional Medical Center, confirmed six people are currently receiving treatment with the last person arriving at the hospital around 1:30 p.m., hours after the explosion.
Your News Channel will broadcast and live stream a press conference from law enforcement about this incident scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. that you can tune in to watch or catch online here.
At 12:29 p.m. Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office announced that detectives working the incident do not believe there are any additional suspects, the bomb squad is still processing the scene at the courthouse, and that the man in custody is still being interviewed.
This stage of the investigation is slow moving and detectives don’t believe there are any additional outstanding suspects. The bomb team is processing the scene and the suspect is still being interviewed. https://t.co/WoA9r3kRlS
— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) September 25, 2024
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office confirmed at 10:30 a.m. that there were at least two reports of non-life-threatening injuries at the scene and one person of interest was detained immediately, but the scene remains active.
Witnesses told Your News Channel that the suspect currently in custody may have thrown a backpack into the courthouse before the explosion.
Miller and McClelland streets near the courthouse are currently closed from Cook Street to Central Avenue.
At 9:23 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office tweeted the report of an explosion and cautioned the public to avoid the area around the courthouse at 312 E. Cook Street.
Santa Maria Courthouse: report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Scene has not been deemed safe. More info to follow.
— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) September 25, 2024
The Montiavo apartment complex in the 1000 block of Henry Street has been evacuated as part of a law enforcement response and witnesses believe it may be tied to the explosion at the courthouse.
Following the report of an explosion, Santa Maria's City Hall, the City Attorney's Office, the Finance Department, the Public Library, and the Recreation and Parks Department offices have all been closed for the remainder of the day shared the City of Santa Maria.
The Governor's Office and local Congressman Salud Carbajal have each tweeted that they are actively monitoring the incident and are in contact with law enforcement.
This is an active law enforcement response and more information will be added to this article as it becomes available.
