Suspect in Bomb Scare Is Tied to Job Dispute

A La Habra man who strapped a wired propane tank to his body, prompting a bomb scare that forced street closures and evacuation of hundreds of people in Anaheim, was involved in a continuing workers’ compensation dispute, officials said Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Division of Workers Compensation said Jesus Rodriguez Lozano filed a complaint with the board seven years ago alleging back, knee and ankle injuries on the job.

The 52-year-old man, who worked for a Fullerton building company, alleged in his complaint that from April 1993 to September 1994 he suffered injuries as a result of an excessive workload. The claim also said Lozano injured his left heel when he fell into a trench, said Richard Stephens, the spokesman for the Division of Workers Compensation.

In a second case, Lozano alleged that in September 1994 he suffered back and waist injuries while excavating a trench, Stephens said.

“They were very routine cases,” Stephens said. “There was nothing unusual about it at all.”

The two compensation cases were scheduled to be heard at the agency’s Anaheim office today. After Lozano’s arrest on charges of possessing explosive devices, it was not clear if the case will go on as scheduled, Stephens said.

Lozano was arrested Tuesday in the parking lot of an office complex that houses the Anaheim Workers Compensation appeals court. He had explosive devices duct-taped to his body and was carrying a picket sign, police said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad later determined it was unlikely that any of the homemade explosives would have been operable, Anaheim Police Sgt. Joe Vargas said. Vargas added that Lozano could still face felony charges for possessing a simulated explosive device.

More than 200 people were evacuated from offices near the 1660 block of North Raymond Street as the bomb squad searched Lozano’s car, which had been painted with slogans against lawyers and doctors.

Investigators also searched Lozano’s La Habra home for explosives, but none were found. Lozano’s 16-year-old son was taken into protective custody, Vargas said.

The suspect is being held on $50,000 bail at the Anaheim City Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.