A man has been arrested in local court in connection with what authorities are calling the “chemical device incident.”
According to a media release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Torrance Courthouse staff received a call about a suspicious package approximately 30 feet from the front entrance.
Torrance Police Department officers responded immediately and evacuated the courthouse.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb technicians sent a robot to safely evaluate the package, which was ultimately determined to be safe more than three hours after it was first discovered.
Sky5 was overhead while the robot inspected the luggage, and the luggage appeared to have been left on the bench.
A bomb squad robot searches for a suspicious package outside the Torrance courthouse on November 13, 2024. (Sky5)
The courthouse was closed as a precaution on Wednesday and reopened on Thursday.
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Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Detail Officers, with assistance from the FBI, began investigating the incident and ultimately identified the suspect as a 56-year-old man from Redondo Beach. His name was not released.
The man was taken into custody Friday in the 2200 block of Belmont Lane in Redondo Beach and charged with use of a destructive device, according to LASD. A search warrant was executed at the home and detectives collected evidence that “will be analyzed for purposes of the investigation.”
The man was arraigned at the Torrance Police Department on $500,000 bail.
Anyone with further information regarding this incident is asked to call the LA County Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Unit at 323-881-7500.
If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. To submit an anonymous tip online, visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.
