California man pleads guilty to bombing state courthouse

In his plea agreement, Nathaniel McGuire admitted that he wanted to kill sheriff's deputies at the courthouse.RIVERSIDE, Calif. (CN) — A California man pleaded guilty on Monday to detonating a bomb in a Santa Barbara County courthouse in 2024 in retaliation for county sheriff’s deputies’ seizing his firearms.Nathaniel McGuire, 22, admitted that he used a weapon of mass destruction and that he maliciously destroyed a building with an explosive at his change-of-plea hearing in Riverside, California, federal court. Five people were injured by the bomb that exploded inside the Santa Maria courthouse.“This defendant’s brazen act of terror resulted in physical, structural and emotional harm, and could have had tragic consequences,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “Individuals who use bombs against law enforcement officials, judges and other government personnel must be held accountable and face severe punishment for their actions.”Although McGuire faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, federal prosecutors have agreed not to ask for a sentence of no more than 30 years, according to his plea deal. The actual sentence will be decided by the judge.McGuire’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.McGuire has been in custody since he was apprehended on Sept. 25, 2024, shortly after he threw a bag of explosives in the courthouse that’s part of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.He had been scheduled to appear for arraignment that day in the Santa Maria courthouse on a firearms violation, but when he walked in the door of the courthouse, he threw a backpack containing an explosive device past the courthouse’s security screening device and towards sheriff’s deputies.The bomb slid between a victim’s legs and detonated in the building outside a courtroom. Five people were hospitalized and released the same day.In his plea agreement, McGuire conceded that he detonated the bomb with the intent to kill the sheriff’s deputies.McGuire fled on foot and was quickly apprehended and detained by law enforcement officials as he was trying to get into his red Ford Mustang parked outside the building. McGuire yelled that the government had taken his guns and that everyone needed to fight, rise up and rebel.Inside the Ford Mustang, a deputy saw ammunition, a flare gun, and a box of fireworks. When law enforcement searched the car, they found a shotgun, a rifle, more ammunition, a suspected bomb, 10 Molotov cocktails and a bong.McGuire told law enforcement he intended to reenter the courthouse with the firearms in to kill a judge.When investigators searched McGuire’s residence, they found an empty can with nails glued to the outside, a duffel bag containing matches, black powder, used and unused fireworks and papers that appeared to be recipes for explosive material.Santa Maria is a small city of 110,000 about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Its courthouse was where pop star Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse some 20 years ago.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads