September 26, 2024: District Attorney Gascón Announces New 25-Count Grand Jury Indictment Against Atlas Metal, Owners

The new indictment includes an additional count forscrapyard explosion that rattled a Watts High School on first day of classes

WATTS, CA - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that the S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Corp., and its owners were charged in a new 25-count indictment, which includes a charge related to the explosion in a Aug. 12 blast at the scrap metal recycler, adjacent to Jordan High School in Watts.

"Our children and the community of Watts deserve a safe and healthy environment to learn and grow in," District Attorney Gascón said. "We will hold companies accountable when they put profits over people and endanger the well-being of our neighborhoods. This latest charge is a reminder that the safety of our communities must come first. No business has the right to jeopardize public health, especially in areas that impact our children's futures."

The indictment charges the company and its owners, Gary Weisenberg (dob 8/27/46) and Matthew Weisenberg (dob 1/28/88) with 22 felony counts of knowingly disposing hazardous waste at a site with no permit and one felony count of deposit of hazardous waste. They are also each facing two misdemeanor counts of failure to maintain or operate a facility to minimize the possibility of a fire or explosion and one count of public nuisance.

Today, the company and its owners were each additionally charged with failure to operate a facility to minimize possibility of fire, explosion or any unplanned sudden or non-sudden release of hazardous waste/hazardous waste constituents to air, soil, or surface water, a misdemeanor.

The defendants pleaded not guilty during their arraignment today in Department 100 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The next court date for a pretrial hearing is set for Oct. 28 in Department 128 of the same courthouse.

Located in the South Los Angeles/Watts area, the facility is adjacent to Jordan High School and the Jordan Downs Housing Development. The privately held metal recycling facility that processes scrap metal, as well as electronic waste, has been in business for approximately 70 years. The complaint alleges that despite its long-standing presence, the facility's operations have increasingly violated environmental and safety regulations as far back at 2017.

Soil samples taken from an area of the high school showed excessive concentrations of lead and zinc. Additional samples taken at Atlas found excessive concentrations of seven metals. Metal debris allegedly from Atlas has been found at the high school.

On Aug. 12, at about 8:20 a.m., a fiery explosion occurred at the facility when students at the nearby school were arriving for their first day of classes. No one was injured in the blast.

The case was investigated by the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Health Hazardous Materials Division with assistance from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

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