Los Angeles County emergency personnel work at the scene of a fireworks explosion in Los Angeles. A cache of illegal fireworks seized at a South Los Angeles home exploded, damaging nearby homes and cars and injuring several people, authorities said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Five Los Angeles bomb squad technicians had their field privileges revoked after miscalculating the weight of a homemade firework detonation, which injured 17 people last month. During a news conference on Monday, the city’s police chief said the officers made a human error by estimating the weight of the explosives instead of using a scale.
Officers guessed the explosives to be 16 pounds. However, the actual weight was found to be around 42 pounds. The device used for the controlled explosion was designed to withstand a maximum capacity of only 25 pounds.
“We are committed to identifying how this occurred and ensuring it never is repeated,” LAPD Chief Michael Moore explained. “In that pursuit, we’ll be identifying revisions to our operating protocols to expand the margin of safety for the public and our personnel alike. We can and must do better.”
Price Demands Accountability from LAPD for South LA Explosion pic.twitter.com/lbGxiae132
— Curren D. Price, Jr. (@CurrenDPriceJr) July 3, 2021
Meanwhile, officials said the final investigation into the cause of the blast will not be completed for at least another month.
Source: One America News Network
