When bombing suspect Nathaniel McGuire tossed a homemade explosive device into the lobby of Santa Maria Superior Court Department 9 Wednesday, security guard Stephen Neil was at his post in Building G.
“I was inside the lobby … by the security screening station. A gentleman came up, opened the door, and started shouting about government agents killing thousands of people. He then threw something into the lobby,” said Neil, 64, who is planning to retire in December from his position as a supervisor for crime security with Triumph Protection Group.
The object, which turned out to be a bag, hit the floor and immediately exploded into what Neil described as a “big fireball,” injuring five people, prompting a lockdown of a 5-block area including a school, businesses and the Santa Maria city hall complex, and closing the court until Monday…