Authorities investigate whether waste delivery was a criminal act

A hazardous waste delivery that resulted in the closure of
several Westwood streets last week will remain under investigation
until authorities are able to determine whether the attempted
drop-off of industrial chemicals involved any criminal acts.

At around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, several blocks southwest of campus
were closed after a truck carrying hazardous materials from an El
Segundo laboratory stopped at the UCLA S.A.F.E. Collection Center
on Charles E. Young Drive.

Streets were closed until 7:30 p.m., when authorities determined
the chemicals ““ which were at one point thought to be
potentially dangerous ““ posed no threat.

Though the chemicals in the truck were later identified as part
of the investigation, authorities did not release the names of the
substances.

After the incident, the chemicals were safely packed and
transferred to a private disposal company, said Nancy Greenstein,
director of university police community services.

The truck’s driver attempted to drop off the chemicals at
the S.A.F.E. Collection Center, a household hazardous materials
drop-off center near the corner of Gayley Avenue and Strathmore
Drive that is not designed to handle industrial chemicals.

Miguel Garcia, supervising hazardous materials specialist for
the County of Los Angeles Fire Department Health Hazardous
Materials Division, said no decisions on pressing charges against
the truck driver will be made until the investigation has ended.
Garcia is in charge of the investigation.

Which charges could be pressed against the driver were not made
clear.

“Until we verify what (the driver) told us (regarding his
intentions), we can’t say one way or another,” Garcia
said.

Garcia was satisfied with the way the situation was handled,
given the consequences that may have resulted had the chemicals
caused an explosion.

“When you’re dealing with the unknown, you use your
best judgment with the information you have at hand,” Garcia
said. “With the strong suspicion that we had, I feel we made
the right decision.”

During the investigation Thursday, sections of Strathmore Drive
and Gayley Avenue were closed to motor and pedestrian access. Those
in nearby residential buildings were advised to stay inside.

Parking Structure 8 and the Strathmore Building were evacuated.
Hundreds were affected ““ they were unable to re-enter the
area until it was clear of danger.

Larry Schneider, a Los Angeles Fire Department battalion
commander, said the evacuation of the 3,000-foot area was forceful
but necessary.

“You have to take every single precaution for fear that if
there were ingredients (in the chemicals) that were crystallizing,
there could have been an explosion, and we would have had a lot of
injuries,” he said.

Garcia suggested publicity as a means of informing companies of
the purpose of the S.A.F.E. Collection Center and preventing a
similar incident from occurring again.

“Businesses are not supposed to take their chemicals to
household hazardous materials centers,” he said.

Though many people were inconvenienced by the road closures,
students behaved well and were very cooperative, Schneider
said.

“We didn’t have a problem with any students getting
out of line or breaking the perimeter,” he said.