‘All of a sudden you see the blast’: Courthouse bomber threw ‘improvised explosive device’ to avoid arraignment, injuring 5, police say

Nathaniel McGuire court explosion

Inset: Nathaniel McGuire (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Authorities investigate after McGuire allegedly set off a bomb at the courthouse in Santa Maria, California. (KSBY/YouTube).

A California man scheduled for an arraignment on a gun charge walked inside the courthouse and threw a bag with an “improvised explosive device” which went off and injured five people, authorities say.

It happened just before 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the Santa Maria courthouse in Santa Barbara County. The suspect, 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, was set to have a court hearing to face charges related to a July 28 arrest for possessing a loaded and concealed revolver that was not registered to him, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. His arraignment on those charges was set for Wednesday morning.

Deputies say McGuire entered the facility holding a backpack and threw it at the station where people are screened for weapons. The bomb inside the bag exploded and McGuire took off running, according to authorities. A court security officer, a sheriff’s deputy and California Highway Patrol troopers chased him and took him into custody as he was trying to enter his car. He reportedly wore body armor under his jacket. He was not injured.

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