Explosion Reported at Santa Maria Courthouse in California: What We Know

Officials are responding to a report of an explosion near the Santa Maria Courthouse in California.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said on X that two people sustained non-life-threatening injuries and a person of interest was detained “immediately” at the Lewellen Justice Center where the courthouse is located.
The individual who was detained is an adult male. Officials have not released his identity yet.
The explosion was a result of “an intentionally set improvised explosive device,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said they received the call at 8:48 a.m. They told the public to avoid the area and said it “has not been deemed safe” yet.
The sheriff’s office’s bomb team is processing the scene. Detectives said they do not believe there are any additional suspects.
California Governor Gavin Newson’s press office posted that it is “actively monitoring the explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse and coordinating with law enforcement authorities.”
The courthouse complex holds state and county courts. The campus was closed and all calendars were canceled for the rest of the day, according to the Superior Court’s website. Anyone who needed to reschedule a matter was told to contact the clerk’s office on Thursday.
San Joaquin Superior Court said on X that it received a bomb threat on Wednesday morning. The courthouse was evacuated and closed for the day. San Joaquin is located about 160 miles north of Santa Maria.
It is unknown if the two incidents are connected.
Santa Maria is located about 65 miles from Santa Barbara. It has a population of about 109,707.
It is the largest city in Santa Barbara County which is located in southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 448,229.
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