2 hurt in explosion at Southern California courthouse and 1 person of interest detained

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — An explosive device that authorities said was intentionally set has injured two people at a California courthouse on Wednesday, authorities said.

One person of interest was detained following the blast reported shortly after 8:45 a.m. at the Santa Maria Courthouse in Santa Maria, sheriff’s officials said. The small city of about 110,000 people in Santa Barbara County is in California’s central coast region.

“We have two reports of non-life-threatening injuries. One person of interest detained immediately. Scene remains active. Please continue to avoid the area,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Public Information Officer Raquel Zick said on the social platform X.

Zick later said the person detained was a man and the blast came from “an intentionally set” explosive device.

A spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department declined to immediately provide additional information.

The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with local law enforcement.

The website for the Superior Court in Santa Barbara County said the courthouse complex was closed for the day and all courtroom calendars were canceled. Phone and email messages were left for Darrel Parker, the court’s executive officer.

The courthouse holds state and county courts in the city of Santa Maria, which is about 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Los Angeles.