5 hurt, 1 person arrested after IED explosion at Santa Barbara County courthouse
Five people were injured, and one person was arrested following what officials are calling an intentional explosion at a Southern California courthouse Wednesday morning.
Multiple agencies, including The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, responded to a report of an explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse in Santa Maria, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, just before 8:50 a.m., according to an X post.
Raquel Zick, a Sheriff's Office spokesperson, said the blast was from an intentionally set improvised explosive device.
"The initial report included that a single individual entered the facility and threw a bag at the screening station. And that bag exploded," Craig Bonner, Santa Barbara Undersheriff shared at a press conference.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, was detained while he attempted to leave the area in his car. McGuire was alone and was wearing body armor when he was taken into custody, according to Bonner.
"Through their interviews, detectives learned that McGuire's motivation appeared to have stemmed from a recent arrest by the Sheriff's Office on July 28, 2024, for firearms violations," Bonner said.
Three people taken to the hospital suffered non-threatening injuries including burns, Bonner said, and have since been treated and released.
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'A local matter' that was safely resolved, sheriff says
Deputies seized a loaded concealed revolver from McGuire's pants pocket that was not registered to him, officials said.
The circumstances surrounding the initial incident were not immediately clear but his arraignment in connection with that incident was set to take place on Wednesday morning at the courthouse before the explosion occurred.
The sheriff's office is working with Santa Barbara County Fire investigate whether or not McGuire was involved in other reported fires in the area.
Warrants for both McGuire's car and home were served as of Wednesday evening. McGuire was booked into jail and faces multiple felony charges.
"Although this is an ongoing investigation and we are exploring all possible angles, at this point in time we do believe that this to be a local incident committed by a local individual with a local grievance stemming from his arrest," Bonner said.
No threats to the public at this time
The sheriff's office has not ruled out there could be "something larger at play," but believe the explosion was a "local matter that has been safely resolved."
"There are no outstanding community safety concerns," Bonner said.
FBI special Agent Ted Docks said the federal agency is investigating the incident and could not comment on the motive citing the pending investigation.
"What we know at this point is this incident is not tied to transnational terrorism and the suspect has no known ties to terrorist groups," Dock said.
Santa Maria Courthouse spokesperson Darrel Parker said the courthouse will be closed through Thursday.
Anyone with relevant information about the case has been encouraged to contact the sheriff's office anonymous tip line at (805)-681-4171 or 1-(800)-CALL-FBI.
This story was updated to add new information.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.