Seventeen people were injured Wednesday evening after L.A. police seized illegal fireworks that ended up exploding in the back of their truck in South L.A.
The explosion occurred around 7:40 p.m. of a Los Angeles Police Department truck containing the fireworks at East 27th and San Pedro streets.
A number of officers were taken to the hospital including nine LAPD officers and one ATF agent including 6 civilians in the area. A tenth police officer was injured but was not hospitalized.
The devasting explosion happened after the LAPD seized over 5,000 of illegal occurred after the LAPD had seized over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a nearby home. They also arrested a 27-year-old man who is alleged to own the fireworks.
The fireworks were put into a controlled armored car that was said to be designed for controlled destinations but turned into a massive explosion flipping cars and shattering windows.
“Officers went door-to-door,” LAPD. Lt. Raul Jovel told CBSLA. “After the explosion, they discovered that some folks were still in the vicinity that did not answer the door. And that’s how we discovered that some folks were injured.”
The 27-year-old Arturo Cejas who was taken into custody over the fireworks, says he got them out of state with the plan to sell them to people in the neighborhood for the 4th of July weekend.
There was also a 10-year-old boy found inside the house who was Cejas brother.
Cejas was being held on $500,000 bail.
Flip the page to watch the explosion (Via CBSLA)
