Man whose fireworks led to botched LAPD detonation sentenced

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A South Los Angeles man whose cache of illegal fireworks blew up a neighborhood in a bungled police bomb squad detonation, injuring 17 people and displacing dozens, has been sentenced to federal prison. Arturo Ceja III was sentenced Wednesday to five months behind bars for illegally transporting explosives from Nevada to California. Police went to Ceja’s home on June 30, 2021 where they found 16 tons of fireworks that Ceja had planned to sell for the Fourth of July. The LAPD bomb squad packed the most volatile and dangerous homemade fireworks into an armored containment vessel for destruction but the vessel exploded, raining debris on scores of homes, businesses and vehicles. About 80 people were displaced. Some have yet to return.