Los Angeles police officers misjudged the weight of explosives before the catastrophic explosion, according to the chief
Massive Explosion : Last month, bomb technicians in Los Angeles misjudged the weight of homemade fireworks when they exploded them, resulting in an explosion that shook a residential neighbourhood and injured 17 people, according to officials.
Police Chief Michel Moore stated during a news conference that five members of the LAPD bomb squad have been pulled from field duty and might face disciplinary while the investigation into the June 30 incident in South Los Angeles proceeds.
The blast occurred after the LAPD spent a day removing thousands of pounds of commercial pyrotechnics from a property after receiving a tip about the big stash.
Those fireworks were detonated at a different location. Homemade pyrotechnics were also discovered at the residence, which were leaking, forcing the bomb squad to declare that they were too dangerous to move.
They used X-rays and robotics to examine them before loading them into the detonation chamber, also known as a total containment tank.
Bomb technicians calculated the weight of the handmade explosives and a counter-charge to be around 16.5 pounds without using a scale, as allowed by Los Angeles police standards to minimise extra handling of the unstable devices.
According to Moore, “it is suspected that the net explosive weight delivered into the [vessel] exceeded its rated capacity based on information acquired to this date.”
Officials believe the explosion, which caused damage to dozens of houses, businesses, and vehicles only days before the Fourth of July, was exceedingly rare because containment chambers are built to withstand blasts.
Despite the fact that authorities are examining if the explosion device was defective, the bomb technicians overloaded it beyond the safety rating.
Officials said the truck-mounted chamber used on June 30 has been in use for ten years and was being used for the 42nd occasion.
Nine police officers and a federal agent were among those injured. Authorities said one cop is currently healing at home.
The choice to detonate the explosives in the middle of a residential area drew widespread condemnation.
Curren Price, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, described the findings as “infuriating.”
In a statement, he said, “This is by far one of the LAPD’s greatest failures in recent history, which has further broken the trust of our South LA Community.”
“This, my constituents believe, was a flagrant disrespect for their safety and the safety of our community of colour.”
“This tragedy might have been avoided, and I am convinced that in a more affluent town, further safety procedures would have been taken,” he continued.
The pyrotechnics were allegedly acquired in Nevada with the purpose of selling them in the neighbourhood days before the Fourth of July weekend, according to authorities.
Arturo Ceja, 26, the man arrested in connection with the fireworks, has been charged with possessing a harmful device.
On a $500,000 bond, he was released. He is scheduled to appear in court again in October.
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