FBI serves search warrant at GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove following chemical crisis
The FBI served a search warrant at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove on Wednesday morning following the chemical crisis that forced more than 50,000 Orange County residents to evacuate in April.
Aerial footage of the scene showed agents from the FBI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the facility in the 12000 block of Western Avenue.
The FBI Los Angeles office confirmed agents were executing a warrant at the location. A copy of the search warrant obtained by CBS News said officials were seeking to seize documents, records and devices related to methyl methacrylate and other hazardous substances.
Last month, a tank holding 6,500 gallons of methyl methacrylate, also known as MMA, at the GKN Aerospace facility was involved in a chemical crisis that forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in six Orange County cities.
The tank carrying the highly flammable, toxic substance became compromised and at risk of a "catastrophic explosion" or leaking as the contents continued to self-heat, according to Orange County Fire Authority officials. The ordeal spanned over five days as local first responders worked to mitigate the incident and reduce the risk to residents.
Soon after the incident began, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Orange County. While the mitigation process was still ongoing and thousands remained evacuated, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced that he was launching a probe into GKN Aerospace, asking anyone who knows more about the compromised tank or who works at the company and wants to whistleblow on illegal practices or negligence to come forward.
As of Wednesday night, the substance inside the tanks still has not been removed. Cleanup work was still underway, but the process to remove the MMA was delayed due to unavailable resources, including sealed trucks that would be able to safely transport the material.
Members of the community have been vocal about their frustrations with GKN and local officials, demanding transparency and answers about the incident.
"We cannot sleep at night with the GKN monster under our beds," one woman said at a special city council meeting on Tuesday night, just hours before the search warrant was served.
GKN's Garden Grove location Senior Vice President Steve Carlin was in attendance at the meeting, where he heard concerns directly from residents and city council members. While they had already announced community support initiatives and a $3 million donation to the Orange County United Way's OC Community Resilience Fund, many are still wondering how they'll be reimbursed for the money they spent to find shelter for their families and pets, or missed work.
