Illegal Fireworks Explode in Bomb Squad Truck, Injuring 17

A Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad truck was destroyed when the illegal fireworks inside exploded unexpectedly, injuring 17 people Wednesday night. The fireworks were confiscated from a South Los Angeles home, and up to nine families in the neighborhood have been displaced because of the explosion, reports Fox11. Earlier Wednesday, the LAPD said it seized about 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from the South Los Angeles home.

The explosion happened around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night in the 700 block of East 27th Street. Of the 17 people hurt, nine were police officers and one a federal ATF agent. Six civilians were injured and one person refused to be taken to the hospital. Three of the six civilians are being treated for “moderate injuries,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The injured police officers and the agent suffered minor injuries.

There was a “catastrophic failure” of the truck, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said during a press conference, reports NPR. The truck was built to carry more weight than what was inside, leading Moore to say that protocols were “followed and pursued.” However, “something happened in that containment vessel that should not have happened and we don’t know why,” he said. “But we intend to find out.” There were less than 10 pounds of material in the chamber, Moore said, reports KTLA. He said the material included 40 homemade explosives about the size of soda cans with simple fuses and 200 other smaller devices. “This vessel should have been able to dispose of that material,” he said.

Usually, the hydraulic doors of the truck’s container would latch and lock, then detonate the materials inside in a way that people outside the truck wouldn’t even notice. The blast wave would be absorbed by the vessel itself then released safely. “You wouldn’t even know” aside from a muffled ding and a light hiss after pressure is released, Sean Dennis, president, and co-founder of the United States Bomb Technician Association told KTLA.

Other experts told KTLA the explosion was unusual, especially for law enforcement as prepared as the LAPD. It could have been caused by human error or an equipment defect. “They were very lucky that nobody got killed here,” said Glenn Corbett, a fire science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told KTLA. Corbett added that other bomb squads around the county might be inspired to double-check their own equipment after Wednesday’s blast.

Police seized the fireworks from the South Los Angeles home after receiving a tip from a resident that there were explosives there. Arturo Cejas, 27, was arrested on suspicion of a destructive device, reports the Associated Press. He could also be charged with child endangerment since his 10-year-old brother was at the home. It is illegal to own and sell fireworks in Los Angeles.