5 wounded when man with ‘local grievance’ tosses bomb into California courthouse where he was set to be arraigned

Five people were wounded in an explosion Wednesday after a disgrusntled man tossed a bomb into a California courthouse, where he was scheduled to be arraigned on gun charges that morning, officials said.

The alleged bomber — later identified as 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire — threw an explosive device into the bustling Santa Maria Courthouse in Santa Maria, a coastal town in Santa Barbara County just after 8:30 a.m., authorities said.

McGuire, of Santa Maria, was set to be arraigned at the courthouse on charges stemming from a July 28 arrest for carrying “a loaded and concealed revolver” that was not registered to him, Santa Babara County Sheriff Office officials said at a press conference streamed by KSBY.

Authorities believe he acted alone and said there is no additional threat to the public. He was booked on charges of attempted murder, using an explosive in attempting to kill someone and possession of explosive devices.

Four victims were rushed to the hospital and a fifth arrived by their own means. All are civilians and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including burns. All five were treated and released by the early evening, sheriff officials said.

Courthouse staff witnessed a man walk into the building and toss a bag packed with explosive materials at the building’s security screening station, authorities said. The package exploded almost immediately.

Shane Mellon told KSBY-TV that he was at the courthouse when he heard a “loud bang” and saw what looked like a sweater smoldering and a man screaming while four or five people got on top of him, trying to keep him restrained.

“I think this could have been way worse than it was if not for the deputies just jumping on top of that guy,” Mellon said.

A court security officer, a sheriff’s deputy and California Highway Patrol officers held down the suspect outside the courthouse until additional law enforcement units arrived.

McGuire was wearing body armor underneath his jacket and was not harmed by the explosion, officials said.

The courthouse as well as surrounding homes, businesses and a nearby school were evacuated while a bomb squad secured the scene. The bomb squad also cleared McGuire’s car and home.

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

The court’s website said the courthouse complex was closed for the day and all courtroom calendars were canceled.

Patrols were stepped up at courthouses in neighboring Los Angeles County, the sheriff’s department there said.

Santa Maria City Hall, which is near the local courthouse, was closed Wednesday due to the ongoing investigation, said Mark van de Kamp, a spokesperson for the city. So were other nearby city offices in addition to branch libraries that depend on the city’s main library for support, he said.

However, investigators later said that the threat was individual and specific to the courthouse.

“Although this is an ongoing investigation and we are exploring all possible angles at this point in time, we do believe this to be a local incident committed by a local individual with a local grievance stemming from his arrest,” Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner said.

McGuire is being held without bail in county jail and officials are also investigating whether he played a role in a number of recent arson cases.

The FBI has also opened an investigation into the bombing as well.

The impacted courthouse holds state and county courts in the city of Santa Maria, which is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. Two decades ago, the courthouse was where Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse.

— With Post wires