A suspect was “quickly taken into custody,” the Santa Maria County Sheriff said. “The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device that was intentionally placed,” he added.
“Never seen before”
Attorney Bill Ausman arrived at the courthouse around 8:30 a.m. when he saw dozens of people running away in panic. “I heard an explosion and someone screaming: ‘It’s a bomb! It’s a bomb! It’s a bomb!’,” he said. “One man ran out of the courthouse and was arrested by law enforcement,” he continued. “He was screaming that over 900,000 people a year were being killed by the FDA,” the U.S. drug agency.
“It was complete chaos, everyone left the court,” he said, adding that he had “never seen anything like that” in his 25-year career. “It really makes me question the security of our courts,” he added.
