Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 27
LAPD Seizes $200,000 Illegal Fireworks in 5 Trucks, Prompting South L.A. Evacuations
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 27

LAPD Seizes $200,000 Illegal Fireworks in 5 Trucks, Prompting South L.A. Evacuations

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 27

Summary

  • $200,000 worth of illegal fireworks were seized from a South Los Angeles home on East 85th Street after officers serving a domestic violence warrant found boxes packed throughout the residence.
  • Five box trucks were ultimately filled with the stash, and police shut down East 85th Street while bomb squad crews removed the pyrotechnics for transfer to Cal Fire for disposal.
  • Evacuations began shortly after 6 a.m. and were later scaled back, though LAPD did not immediately say how many residents were displaced.
  • The operation unfolded under heightened caution because a 2021 LAPD bomb squad detonation of seized fireworks in South L.A. destroyed dozens of homes and led to millions in lawsuit payouts.

Insights

How did a domestic violence call lead officers to a $200,000 illegal fireworks operation in a South LA home?
Is this massive seizure a victory, or proof LA's illegal fireworks market is simply too big to control?
Five years after a catastrophic blast, what will prevent another police error with this new mountain of explosives?