John Jefferson
Inset: Nathaniel McGuire (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Authorities investigate after McGuire allegedly set off a bomb at the courthouse in Santa Maria, California. (KSBY/YouTube).
A California man scheduled for an arraignment on a gun charge walked inside the courthouse and threw a bag with an “improvised explosive device” which went off and injured five people, authorities say.
It happened just before 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the Santa Maria courthouse in Santa Barbara County. The suspect, 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, was set to have a court hearing to face charges related to a July 28 arrest for possessing a loaded and concealed revolver that was not registered to him, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. His arraignment on those charges was set for Wednesday morning.
Deputies say McGuire entered the facility holding a backpack and threw it at the station where people are screened for weapons. The bomb inside the bag exploded and McGuire took off running, according to authorities. A court security officer, a sheriff’s deputy and California Highway Patrol troopers chased him and took him into custody as he was trying to enter his car. He reportedly wore body armor under his jacket. He was not injured.
Paramedics rushed four people to the hospital while a fifth showed up on their own, cops said. They all suffered non-life-threatening injuries, mostly burns. Witnesses described the explosion and the chaos that followed.
“All of a sudden you see the blast, and the boom, and then the smoke,” courthouse employee Andrea Castaneda told local San Luis Obispo NBC affiliate KSBY. “It’s just — it was scary. It was scary.”
Castaneda sprinted to another part of the courthouse to alert people about what happened. The explosion left her rattled.
“I tried to relax, but I can’t,” she said. “I just keep replaying it over and over in my head.”
Authorities evacuated the courthouse as well as surrounding homes and businesses. The bomb squad searched for any additional explosive devices in the courthouse as well as in McGuire’s house and car. They found none.
McGuire is facing charges of attempted murder, manufacturing an explosive device and use of an explosive device for attempted murder. Detectives are also investigating whether McGuire is involved in a string of recent arsons in the area.
“Although this is an ongoing investigation and we are exploring all possible angles, at this point in time, we believe this to be a local incident committed by a local individual, with a local grievance stemming from his arrest,” Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner told reporters. “We are not absolutely ruling out that there is something larger at play but at this time we believe this is a local matter that has been safely resolved and there are no outstanding community safety concerns.”
Court Executive Officer Darrel E. Parker said the courthouse will reopen Monday.
The FBI is also investigating the explosion. Cops are asking anyone with information about McGuire to contact the Sheriff’s Office Anonymous tip line at 805-681-4171.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
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