Police Arrest 2, Seize 9 Tons of Explosives in Northridge

A raid at a Northridge ammunition business resulted in the seizure of nine tons of unidentified explosives and the arrest of two people, Los Angeles police said Saturday.

Police said they arrested Wyant John Lamont, 56, and Jessica Milberger, 51, both of Van Nuys during the Friday afternoon raid at a small industrial park. They were arrested under a section of the California Penal Code that outlaws reckless or malicious possession of explosives near public areas, a Police Department statement said.

Both were being held Saturday at the Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail.

Employees of shops adjoining the business at 18618 Parthenia St. said Lamont sold materials for reloading ammunition, such as shotgun shells, and stocked shell casings, primers and gunpowder.

Son Says It’s Gunpowder

Reached at Lamont’s home, the shop owner’s son, Eric Lamont, said he believes the explosives seized were gunpowder. Eric Lamont said that his father has permits to legally store ammunition but that he is not familiar with details of his father’s business.

Eric Lamont said Milberger is his father’s ex-wife and works at the ammunition business.

“It’s probably going to work out to be a big mistake,” he said of the arrests. “He’s trying to work it out right now, as far as getting the necessary paper work together and showing them he has the permits.”

Police refused Saturday to discuss the arrests, the nature of the explosives or where they were being stored.

Employees of nearby shops who witnessed the raid said about 15 to 20 plainclothes officers entered John Lamont’s business at 1 p.m. and evacuated the building and nearby structures on Parthenia. Authorities cordoned off the blacktop courtyard in front of the shop for about four hours and a Fire Department crew stayed at the scene.

‘Seemed Real Concerned’

Police catalogued the explosives, contained in cardboard boxes, and used a forklift to load them onto a truck for removal, witnesses said.

“The police seemed real concerned,” said Pat Rollins, owner of Freelite Skylights, which is in the same building. “They wouldn’t let us in. We couldn’t even make payroll.”

Rollins said that the ammunition business had been there about six months and that most local shopkeepers knew little about Lamont’s operation.

“They had a lot of people coming into their shop. We kind of figured they were doing more than selling empty casings. They said they were empty but it took two men to lift a box,” Rollins said.

A sign on the padlocked door gave no name for the business but said it was open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

According to an employee of one neighboring shop, John Lamont said he used explosives to stage special effects for film studios.