Seventeen people, including multiple police officers, were wounded after a Los Angeles bomb squad truck carrying seized illegal fireworks exploded in a residential neighborhood Wednesday evening.
Nine personnel with the Los Angeles Police Department were wounded, one agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sustained injuries, and seven civilians were hurt following the blast, fire department authorities said. All injuries were classified as either “moderate” or “minor,” and 16 of the 17 victims were transported to local hospitals.
Around 7 p.m., law enforcement was in the process of confiscating more than 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a home near San Pedro before the explosive material was moved into a bomb squad “vessel,” which contained armored plating, the LAPD wrote. The truck was later seen on video breaking apart after a massive explosion in what is being described as a failed controlled demolition.
TWO DEAD AND TWO WOUNDED AFTER TEXAS GAS LINE EXPLOSION
WATCH: Sky9 was overhead when police attempted to detonate a stash of illegal fireworks that ended in an explosion in the 700 block of East 27th Street in South L.A. https://t.co/KpWiAEoyqv pic.twitter.com/UbIXLDoZjh
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) July 1, 2021
LAPD Chief Michael Moore said during a press conference Wednesday night that residents were evacuated prior to the blast, though some remained in their homes against the commands of fire authorities. Moore did not reference an intentional demolition when speaking to reporters, though he said “something happened” that “should not have happened” after a number of improvised explosives were found among the 5,000 pounds of fireworks.
“Tonight, every effort of the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department, joined by LA Fire and ATF during the course of today, was to render this situation safe, and clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should not have happened, and we don’t know why,” Moore said.
He described what happened to the truck as a “total catastrophic failure” and indicated the vehicle should have successfully absorbed the blast force.
The trove of fireworks was allegedly seized from the home of Arturo Cejas earlier in the day. The 27-year-old faces possession of a destructive device charges, and investigators are looking to tack on child endangerment charges after his 10-year-old brother was purportedly present in the residence that contained the explosives. He is held on a $500,000 bail.
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A day prior to the incident, the LAPD conducted an “anonymous fireworks buyback program” that promised a “free gift” for turning in the devices ahead of the Fourth of July.
A public information officer for the LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
