What to Know
- Several people suffered injuries that are not life-threatening in an explosion at a Santa Barbara County courthouse.
- The explosion in Santa Maria was intentionally set with an improvised explosive device, the sheriff's department said.
- People jumped on top of a man who was detained immediately after the explosion, a witness said.
One person was detained in connection with an explosion caused by what authorities described as an improvised explosive device that injured at least two people Wednesday morning at a courthouse in Santa Maria.
The courthouse was closed and residents near the building were told to avoid the area as authorities investigate the explosion. The location was "not deemed safe," the sheriff's department said.
At least two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff's department. A public information officer at Marian Regional Medical Center told NBC News that six people arrived at the hospital. Their conditions ranged from good to fair.
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One person was immediately detained, the sheriff's department said. That person is a man, and the explosion was from an intentionally set improvised explosive device, according to the agency.
Details about where the explosion occurred were not immediately available.
Witness Shane Mellon told KSBY that he was at the courthouse when he heard what sounded like chairs falling over. The courtroom bailiff escorted him and others from the building.
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“It was a loud bang,” he said.
Mellon said he saw what looked like a sweater smoldering and a man screaming. Four or five people got on top of him, trying to keep him restrained, Mellon said.
“I think this could have been way worse than it was if not for the deputies just jumping on top of that guy,” Mellon said.
Santa Maria is about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Pop star Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse two decades ago at the courthouse.
