Californian allegedly blew up courthouse on his court date

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. – A man is accused of throwing an explosive device at the Santa Maria courthouse immediately before his court date.

The suspect, 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, allegedly threw a bag at the courthouse checkpoint about 15 minutes before his hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. The courthouse is about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

McGuire has been in custody since the incident. His original court hearing on September 25 related to a July 2020 arrest on firearms violations.

Five people were injured in the explosion.

Santa Barbara County Court Clerk Darrel Parker said the explosion occurred in the ground floor lobby of the criminal court building, which serves as the entrance and weapons checkpoint for the entire courthouse, the Associated Press reported.

“I'm not sure the suspect passed the gun check,” Parker said.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is also investigating whether McGuire is connected to other arsons in the area.

As of Wednesday evening, officers were not looking for any further suspects.

“The bomb disposal squad is investigating the scene and the suspect is still being questioned,” the sheriff's office said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The sheriff's department initially said two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but Sandy Doucette, a spokesman for Marian Regional Medical Center, said the hospital was treating five patients in connection with the explosion. Two were in good condition and three were in fair condition, the Associated Press reports.

Governor Gavin Newsom's office said it is monitoring the situation and coordinating with local law enforcement.

Following the explosion, neighboring counties, including Los Angeles County, increased their patrols at courthouses, the sheriff's department said.

The court is expected to resume normal operations on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.