Murder charges to be filed in meth lab blast

Sue Doyle

The district attorney is expected to file first-degree murder charges

today against a Costa Mesa man in connection with the death of a man in a

methamphetamine lab explosion last week in Huntington Park, authorities

said.

Juan Sandoval, 24, will be arraigned in the Los Angeles County Court

narcotics unit this morning. He is being held without bail in Los Angeles

County Jail.

Huntington Park police arrested Sandoval on Thursday at his home in the

800 block of Congress Street. Authoritiesdressed in riot gear searched

his home and recovered seven rifles and shotguns, along with other

evidence, Huntington Park Police Lt. Kenneth Rulon said.

Authorities also searched a house in the 900 block of Congress Street,

but did not seize any evidence.

Police officers said they suspected Sandoval played a role in the

explosion after they recovered a lease agreement with his name on it at

the Huntington Park apartment.

The May 17 blast blew through walls and the complex’s roof. The fire

forced more than 20 people to evacuate their homes.

In addition to Sandoval, two unidentified females were arrested on

suspicion of co-conspiracy to produce methamphetamine and may also face

first-degree murder charges, Rulon said. Authorities would not release

the names of the two females.

The identity of the man injured in the blast, who died Thursday at USC

Medical Center, remains a mystery. Fire consumed his body, and he lived

only for a few hours after the explosion.

A fingerprint check showed the man has no records in California, Rulon

said.

The Los Angeles County Coroner is working on other possible leads.