Last night, the Los Angeles Police Department seized more than 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks and "more unstable" DIY explosives from someone's home. The LAPD bomb squad put the "improvised explosive devices" into its bomb disposal truck for a controlled detonation. Unfortunately, the entire vehicle exploded, injuring 17 people and damaging surrounding vehicles and homes. Video of the explosion below. From the Los Angeles Times:
Police detonated the devices at 7:37 p.m., believing that the vehicle would be able to contain the explosion, but there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle," [Los Angeles Police Chief Michel] Moore said.
"Clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should have not happened and we don't know why," the chief said. "We intend to find out why." […]
Officers arrested Arturo Cejas III, a man in his 20s who resided at the home with the fireworks, on suspicion of reckless or malicious possession of a destructive device. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
Moore said that the explosive material was acquired from out of state for the purpose of being sold to community members for the Fourth of July. He said that officials found Cejas' 10-year-old brother at the scene and will be pursuing child endangerment charges as well for the risk he faced from the explosives that had been stored at the home.
