Atlas Iron and Metal Corp., a recycling plant in Los Angeles County, is facing more than two dozen charges for allegedly dumping hazardous waste at a neighboring school in Watts.
District Attorney George Gascón announced the grand jury’s 25-count indictment Thursday, including an indictment stemming from an explosion at the scrap yard last month.
“We will hold companies accountable when they put profits before people and endanger the well-being of our neighborhoods. This latest indictment reminds us that the safety of our communities must come first,” Gascón said.
The owners pleaded not guilty and expected to appear in court again on October 28.
Atlas has faced opposition in recent years after community members claimed the recycling facility sent shrapnel to the school’s campus and exposed students from neighboring Jordan High School to toxic chemicals. According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, there are dangerous levels of lead and other metals on campus that are 75 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency defines as dangerous.
In 2021, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office sued the company for public nuisance. The city attorney’s office claimed the campus was once evacuated after a 6-inch shard of military equipment shot 1,500 feet into the air before landing on the school. Additionally, the city claims metal fragments were thrown from the facility onto the Jordan High campus at least eight times in 2020.
Four years later, problems at Atlas continued after an explosion sent smoke billowing into the air on August 12, just before students returned from summer vacation for the first day of the school year.
“We shouldn’t have to fight so hard to breathe air that doesn’t cause cancer,” said Genesis Cruz, a recent graduate of Jordan High School. “I’m not yet a lawyer, but I know the decision for the judge is simple. Stop this company or children will continue to be exposed to toxic chemicals.”
No one was injured in the explosion.
