WWW.LSPDONLINE.NET Los Santos Police Department Press Release Saturday, March 4th, 2023 "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE" |
LSPD METRO BOMB SQUAD PERFORMS CONTROLLED DETONATION AT SADOC
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At approximately 18:30 on March 4th, the LSPD responded to the San Andreas Department of Corrections, where Correctional Officers had trapped a stolen Vapid Scout belonging to the San Andreas Government. The vehicle had been stolen hours earlier and had been sighted multiple times, but had evaded capture. Once LSPD units arrived on the scene, they reported being informed that the occupants of the stolen vehicle had an explosive device and were demanding to be set free.
As the situation had been escalated to a bomb threat, the LSPD Metropolitan Division Bomb Squad was called to the scene and Officers began moving people into cover and securing the area. The perimeter of the scene, including the outer lanes of the Los Santos Freeway, were closed to protect the public from the threat. The LSPD attempted to negotiate with the 2 suspects for close to 20 minutes. The suspects agreed to disable the dead mans switch, but demanded to be set free while still in possession of a means to detonate the explosive by means of a burner phone, which is an unacceptable term for the LSPD due to the extreme safety hazard it poses to everybody involved.
As no resolution was being found through negotiation, the decision was made to neutralize the suspects. Once the suspects had allegedly disabled the dead mans switch, all personnel and inmates at the DOC were moved to a safe location, and Officers and medics on scene took cover. A trained marksman using a high powered, high accuracy weapon downed both suspects without detonating the explosive. The downed suspects and the stolen car were moved away from the explosive, and two Bomb Squad Officers began working on the explosive device while Officers took the suspects into custody and medics began treating their wounds. The driver of the stolen vehicle was taken to the hospital and survived, and is now serving a 20 year sentence for Domestic Terrorism, Grand Theft Auto and Criminal Threats. Their partner was pronounced dead on the scene.
The Bomb Squad preparing for a controlled detonation
The Bomb Squad faced two options to deal with the explosive. The first option was to disarm the device, which would have put the Officers at high risk, even when dressed in full protective gear, due to the dangers and unknowns surrounding a home made explosive device such as the one used in this situation, and due to the fact that the suspects were still in close proximity to the explosive device. Therefore, the Bomb Squad Officers evaluated the possibility of performing a controlled detonation of the explosive. Due to the high strength of the buildings at the San Andreas Department of Corrections, it was concluded that a detonation would not damage the structural integrity of the buildings, with the damage being limited to the gate. Everyone on scene and in nearby buildings was moved into cover, and the explosive was detonated. The explosion caused damage to the gate and the roadway beneath it, but as expected, nothing further.
The Bomb Squad performing the controlled detonation of the explosive device
CONTACT INFORMATION
- For Information, Contact:
Media Relations Division Public Inquiries
Los Santos Police Department
Sinner Street 69, Mission Row
Los Santos, SA, 90013
