Posted on 07/18/2026 11:58:38 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The widow of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy killed in last year’s deadly grenade explosion has filed a lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff’s Department and several officials, alleging the tragedy was the result of inadequate training, unsafe practices and leadership failures.
The complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Nancy Lemus on behalf of herself, the estate of Deputy Victor Lemus and the couple’s two young daughters, names the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Robert Luna, Commander Thomas Giandomenico and others as defendants.
Victor Lemus was one of three members of the Sheriff’s Department’s Arson and Explosives Detail killed July 18, 2025, when a grenade exploded during what authorities have described as a training-related incident at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center in East Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges Lemus was assigned to the Bomb Squad in June 2024 but was not scheduled to attend the FBI’s Hazardous Device School until as long as two years later. While awaiting formal training, the complaint says he should not have been placed in the immediate presence of live explosive devices.
According to the lawsuit, two fellow deputies incorrectly concluded that a grenade recovered in Santa Monica was inert, transported it in personal vehicles instead of a bomb truck, kept it overnight at a private residence and later brought it onto the grounds of the training center despite policies prohibiting live explosives there.
The complaint alleges the deputies then used the live grenade as a training demonstration for Lemus before it exploded, killing all three deputies.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Yeah, recall that training. The guy in the center berm in my group of three trainees hit the wall with the practice grenade. The black sgt with me turned white! Fortunately he hit the top of the wall and it tumbled over the other side before exploding but it was a bit frightening not knowing where the damn thing was. Metal did rain down for a few seconds though.
I wonder if that is a foreign military. Who wears BDU caps at grenade range? It looks off, somehow.
LOL! “Five is right out!” —Brother Maynard
It probably is...some of those countries are just crazy unsafe with this kind of thing...
I can imagine seeing brand new green troops trudging up one after another, over and over all day carrying grenades wasn’t this guy’s favorite duty to pull. I think he was cracking up a bit.
Chinese
Around 1959 or so, Dad got a pineapple grenade lighter from a buddy and gave it to me. Grenades converted to lighters were common in that era. Being 8 years old, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. But it never occurred to me to ask “Is it live?” and no adult asked that question, either
Maybe it was a replica, but it sure looked real. Mom and dad downsized when moving to a much smaller place and it probably got sold at their garage sales.
He threw her farther than she threw the grenade!
A woman turned in what she said was a 20mm aircraft practice round to the desk Sargeant in Nuremberg, he kept it for 2 weeks in his drawer showing it off, an EOD guy came in and told him it was not a practice round but as long as it didn’t get rolled around it would be ok because after so many revolutions it armed itself. it was picked up that afternoon.
In my neighborhood, we had a lot of dads who brought goodies back from overseas and we would routinely "borrow" them to play war. MP-40s, Mausers, Arisakas, etc. No live ammo, of course. Another dad had a pair of samurai swords and a buddy and I used duel with them - in their scabbards - because they were as sharp as razors.
One of the kid's parents were divorced (rare back then) and we got into an army footlocker his dad had stashed in ceiling of his garage: 50+ Lugers neatly packed... we very carefully replaced the lid and left them alone.
Shame that things have changed with war souvenirs. They used to send them home in the mail!
The very best souvenirs my dad brought home were a silk parachute that my mom had made into her wedding dress! And a Japanese “Rising Sun” flag.
All disappeared when they downsized. Wish I had those things now.
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