What we know about the elite LASD unit that trains at East LA facility

The SEB is made up of dozens of highly trained, highly specialized deputies who do everything from SWAT standoffs to risky rescues of people in peril in remote areas.

The SEB is made up of dozens of highly trained, highly specialized deputies who do everything from SWAT standoffs to risky rescues of people in peril in remote areas.

The SEB is made up of dozens of highly trained, highly specialized deputies who do everything from SWAT standoffs to risky rescues of people in peril in remote areas.

The SEB is made up of dozens of highly trained, highly specialized deputies who do everything from SWAT standoffs to risky rescues of people in peril in remote areas.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies assigned to the arson explosives detail were killed in an explosion at an East L.A. training facility on Friday – the department’s worst loss of life in a single incident since 1857, Sheriff Robert Luna said.

James Wheeler is familiar with the Special Enforcement Bureau training facility where the tragedy happened. Wheeler, a former SEB deputy, trained with explosives used to breakdown doors to rescue hostages and arrest barricaded suspects.

The deputies who died in the explosion Friday were identified as Dets. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn, who were all assigned to the Special Enforcement Bureau’s Arson Explosives Detail.

“They’re the best of the best,” Wheeler said. “You don’t get to (the arson and explosives unit) by being second rate or lazy.”

Wheeler said safety was paramount when he worked.

“We would have safety briefings every morning,” Wheeler said.

The SEB is made up of dozens of highly trained, highly specialized deputies who do everything from SWAT standoffs to risky rescues of people in peril in remote areas.

“They have a phenomenal reputation throughout the law enforcement community,” said Jason Stocklas, a former explosions investigator with CalFire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Stocklas says officers and deputies who work with explosives, like the ones who lost their lives Friday, know the dangers that come with the duty.

“There is always that fear in the back of your head that, ‘Hey, if things go bad, it’s probably not going to be something I’m going to walk away from,'” Stocklas said.

Wheeler says training never really stops for members of SEB. He says the unit uses some of the best equipment offered to law enforcement and uses the latest techniques.

“Today was the day that everybody saw how inherently dangerous this job is,” Wheeler said. “I hope that lessons are learned so this never happens again.”