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…