New bail was set Monday for owners of a scrap metal company linked to explosions and dangerous goods in the Watts area of South Los Angeles.
Matthew Weisenberg, one of the owners of Atlas Metal Company, was taken into custody for $1 million on Monday afternoon, with another owner, Gary Weisenberg, on bail set at $100,000.
Weisenberg was taken into custody last week after a judge ordered the pair to be held after breaching a pretrial release agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
After decades of conflict with Jordan High School, which allegedly allowed the explosion and caused dangerous goods such as rap shotguns and metal fragments to rain on public school campuses, the owner was charged in September on August 12th with one of at least two explosions in 20 years due to the explosion.
Before the trial began, the judge allowed Weisenberg to be released unless he complied with federal and local laws and had highly explosive material on the scene. However, inspectors found that the four compressed gas cylinders were marked one marked as carbon dioxide, marked acetylene.
“This is a historic day for Watts, Jordan High School and criminal justice,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “After putting decades of children at risk with metal projectiles and hazardous waste, Atlas Metal has been ordered to halt the acceptance and processing of new materials and essentially close operations.”
As alleged in court, Atlas metals have for decades recklessly allowed deadly rap shotguns to Jordan High School property, contaminating schools with lead and other toxic chemicals. As argued in the court, for 70 years, Atlas Metals has gathered all the benefits, and children at Jordan High School take all the risks. This is unbearable. Under my surveillance, environmental crimes are punished to the full extent of the law, and those who threaten public safety, especially those who hurt children, are responsible. We would like to thank Daniel Wright, Associate Deputy Director of the Environmental Crimes Division at Radha, and Associate District Attorney Cynthia Valenzuela, for mercilessly fighting for the health and safety of students across Jordan High School and the Watts community. ”
After Atlas was charged with 22 felony counts of intentionally disposing of hazardous waste without permission and one felony of a dangerous waste deposit, both owners faced a count of two misdemeanors of not maintaining or operating the facility to minimize the likelihood of a fire or explosion and the possibility of a nuisance to the public in one count.
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