More Stolen Explosives Discovered

Eleven more stolen explosive cartridges believed used in the space shuttle turned up Wednesday in a Saugus neighborhood where 10 of the devices have been found since Feb. 3, including one that blew up and slightly injured a boy, authorities said.

The discovery came two days after Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials warned area residents to be on the lookout for the devices, 46 of which were stolen in 1987 from a now-closed testing plant run by Hi-Shear Technology Corp.

Deputies planned to visit several schools in the area today to describe the cartridges to students and instruct them to call authorities if they find any of the devices, Sheriff’s Lt. Ed Chenal said.

Authorities believe the remaining 25 cartridges, which are seven inches long and three-quarters of an inch in diameter with red plastic caps on each end, were also discarded in the area. The cartridges are used on the space shuttle to jettison empty fuel tanks after liftoff.

Deputy Dean Scoville said Hi-Shear employees found the 11 devices Wednesday in a plastic foam container dug from rubble near a brick wall in the 27500 block of Urbandale Avenue.

Representatives of Torrance-based Hi-Shear could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Scoville said the company sent representatives to scour the field for additional cartridges after authorities announced the earlier finds on Monday.