Arturo Ceja III was taken into police custody on Saturday by special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) after allegedly transporting explosives without a license or permit.
According to CNN, Ceja transported 16 tonnes of explosives from out of state; some of the devices later exploded in a police bomb disposal truck and injured 17 people.
The man was initially arrested on Wednesday after Los Angeles authorities got a top and discovered a large stockpile of fireworks in the suspect’s home.
“The initial investigation by local authorities estimated that approximately 5,000 pounds of fireworks were found; however, today the ATF determined that Ceja was storing approximately 32,000 pounds of fireworks in his backyard,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement Saturday.
The criminal complaint alleges, “Ceja made several trips to Nevada in late June to purchase various types of explosives — including aerial displays and large homemade fireworks containing explosive materials — that he transported to his residence in rental vans.”
“The complaint notes that fireworks in California can be sold for as much as four times what purchasers pay for the fireworks in Nevada,” the US attorney’s office said.
The fireworks—which were illegal—were intended for sale amid the July 4 holiday, Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore stated.
As the LAPD bomb squad removed the fireworks from the man’s home, they determined that some of the homemade fireworks containing explosive materials weren’t safe to transport due to the risk of detonation.
Instead of transporting them, police decided to destroy the fireworks at the scene by using a total containment vessel.
“During the destruction of the devices, the entire TCV exploded, causing a massive blast radius, damaging homes in the neighborhood and injuring a total of 17 law enforcement personnel and civilians,” the US attorney’s office said.
Other buildings and cars were also damaged.
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