Law enforcement and other emergency personnel converged on the Santa Maria Superior Court complex Wednesday morning after an explosion that injured six people in the courthouse building.

A man was immediately detained at the scene, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said, and investigators do not believe there are outstanding suspects.

The explosion was “from an intentionally set improvised explosive device,” spokesperson Raquel Zick said.

Sheriff’s deputies, Santa Maria Police, Santa Maria Fire, California Highway Patrol officers, county firefighters, and American Medical Response ambulances responded to the incident.

Marian Regional Medical Center confirmed six patients from the explosion incident were taken to its Santa Maria emergency department on Wednesday.

“Three are in fair condition and three are in good condition. We are providing them with the highest level of care and support,” spokesperson Joe Bailey said in a statement.

Law enforcement officers remained focused on the east side of the court complex along Miller Street, Zick said, adding that the suspect’s car was parked in the area.

“Our bomb squad is on scene, but that’s going to be slow moving, so we’re maintaining about a five-block perimeter of road closures until we can go in there and render that safe,” Zick said.

“Detectives don’t believe there are any additional outstanding suspects,” she said around 1:30 p.m.. “The bomb team is processing the scene, and the suspect is still being interviewed.”

The suspect, an adult male, was seen being transferred from the back of a Santa Maria Police car to a Sheriff’s Office car. His name had not been released as of mid-day Wednesday.

It’s not known if the suspect had a case set for a hearing on Wednesday.

The incident was first reported at 8:34 a.m., according to dispatch reports.

The man was inside the court building and threw a bag in front of Department 9, which is the arraignment courtroom, Superior Court Executive Officer Darrel Parker told Noozhawk.

Whatever was in the bag exploded, Parker said.

Emergency vehicles were staged at 312 E. Cook St. all morning and afternoon, blocking the courthouse parking lot and a portion of Miller Street between Central and Cook streets.

Authorities evacuated the entire court complex, including nearby offices for court staff, and prosecuting and defense attorneys. Attorneys and defendants were showing up to court Wednesday morning to find the area taped off.

Shortly after the incident, Parker said the Superior Court was still figuring out how to handle court appointments for Wednesday, including arraignments and trials. Officials decided to close for the day.

Midday Wednesday, a message posted to the court website said, “The SANTA MARIA campus is closed for the day and all calendars have been canceled. Please contact the clerk’s office tomorrow to reschedule your matter.”

As a precaution, the city of Santa Maria decided to close City Hall, the Finance Department, City Attorney’s Office, Santa Maria Public Library, and Recreation and Parks Department for the day Wednesday, spokesman Mark van de Kamp said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Governor’s Office and California Office of Emergency Services “are actively monitoring the explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse and coordinating with law enforcement authorities.”

People entering the court complex in Santa Maria, as well as the facilities in Santa Barbara and Lompoc, go through security screening, including walking through metal detectors and having bags put through X-ray machines.

The court building attracted international attention nearly two decades ago when it housed the Michael Jackson criminal trial in 2005.

More recently, the same court building with four courtrooms and other offices was the site of a multiple-defendant trial that ended with jurors convicting the men of killing 10 people in connection with the MS-13 criminal gang.

In February 2023, a man broke into the closed criminal court building on a Saturday night after receiving a letter to appear for a case for a date several weeks away.

The Nipomo man broke the two glass doors at the entrance to the criminal court building and then forcefully entered the Department 8 courtroom breaking the wood frames.

He then allegedly started a fire on the defense counsel’s chair, which spread to the table and carpet. The fire burned hot enough to melt the lights in the ceiling causing the sprinklers to activate.

The flooded courtroom required significant repairs before it could be used again.

This is a developing story. Check back with Noozhawk for updates.

Noozhawk North County Editor Janene Scully reported from the scene.