A Redondo Beach man was arrested Friday in connection with a suspicious bag that was left outside the Torrance courthouse this week, authorities said.
The courthouse was evacuated around 7 a.m. Wednesday after the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call about a suspicious package about 30 feet from the main entrance.
Sheriff’s Arson Explosives Detail bomb technicians deployed a robot to safely assess and secure the package, authorities said. The area was declared safe at 10:15 a.m., but the courthouse remained closed for the rest of the day as a precaution.
Sheriff’s detectives and the Torrance Police Department investigated the incident and identified a suspect: a 56-year-old Redondo Beach man, authorities said.
The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested Friday in the 2200 block of Belmont Lane on suspicion of using a destructive device, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
He was booked into the Torrance Police Department and is being held on $500,000 bail, according to authorities.
A law enforcement source close to the situation told the Times that the package left at the Torrance courthouse “was definitely intended to hurt someone.” The source also said surveillance video captured a man leaving the package with a note indicating a desire to cause harm and including claims that the man had “killed before.”
Times Staff Writer Keri Blakeger contributed to this report.
