LOS ANGELES – -(AmmoLand.com)- A South Los Angeles man whose fireworks were detonated by police, leading to a massive explosion that destroyed a specially designed containment vehicle, damaged a neighborhood and injured 17 people, pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge.
Arturo Ceja III, a.k.a. “Autron,” 26, pleaded guilty to a single-count information charging him with transportation of explosives without a license.
According to court documents, Ceja made several trips to Nevada in late June to purchase various types of explosives that he transported to his residence in rental vans. Most of the explosives were purchased at Area 51, a fireworks dealer in Pahrump, Nevada. Fireworks in California can be sold for as much as four times what purchasers pay for the fireworks in Nevada. Ceja also purchased homemade explosives – constructed of cardboard paper, hobby fuse and packed with explosive flash powder – from an individual selling the devices out of vehicle, according to court documents.
On June 30, after receiving a tip that fireworks were being stored in Ceja’s backyard, Los Angeles Police officers responded to his residence on East 27th Street. At the house, officers found more than 500 boxes of commercial grade fireworks in large cardboard boxes. The initial investigation by local authorities estimated that approximately 5,000 pounds (2.5 tons) of fireworks were found. But law enforcement later determined that Ceja was storing approximately 32,000 pounds (16 tons) of fireworks on the property.
In addition to the commercial fireworks, the initial search of Ceja’s residence led to the discovery of more than 140 other homemade fireworks as well as explosives-making components, according to court documents.
While the fireworks were being removed from Ceja’s residence, the LAPD Bomb Squad determined that some of the homemade fireworks containing explosive materials were not safe to transport due to risk of detonation in a densely populated area and therefore would be destroyed on scene using a total containment vessel (TCV), according to court documents. During the destruction of the devices, the entire TCV exploded, damaging homes in the neighborhood and injuring a total of 17 law enforcement personnel and civilians.
United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin has not yet scheduled a sentencing hearing, at which time Ceja will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda M. Bettinelli and Erik M. Silber of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
ATF is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for investigating violations of the federal firearms and explosives laws and regulations. More information about ATF and its programs can be found at www.atf.gov.
Civilians are government employees not in the military. Cops are civilians.
THE BOMB SQUAD ARE IDIOTS. THIS STUFF IS NOT HE. ITS PYRO. CAN BE EASILY RENDERED SAFE IN A TANK OF WATER. IF THEY HAD CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO DO.
THE USE OF A BOMB CONTAINMENT VESSEL WAS ALL SHOWMANSHIP. POLITICAL THEATRE. JUST LIKE EVERY INNCIDENT WHERE LE IS INVOLVED. GOT TO JUSTIFY THOSE TAX DOLLARS.
“Protecting the Public, Serving the Nation”?
What an adorable, if inaccurate, slogan, bless their hearts.
Whoever was in charge of the bomb squad on this case was 100% the cause of the explosion, not the defendant. Was he in the wrong storing all these fireworks in a residential area? Yes and that should be the only charge he faces. Unfortunately, the leftist government of California will take any opportunity they can to try and convince voters that they need to be protected by the freedom hating nanny state. Most voters in Cali will fall for the whole charade. As was proven by the failed recall of Newsom. I think the leftist ideology is embedded too… Read more »
“A South Los Angeles man whose fireworks were detonated by police, leading to a massive explosion that destroyed a specially designed containment vehicle, damaged a neighborhood and injured 17 people, pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge.”
Not to say he didn’t commit some kind of crime(being stupid…???), but he didn’t cause the resulting explosion…
Any of those government employees facing disciplinary or criminal charges regarding their negligence in causing this explosion?
No?
Thought not.
lapd should do like the military, you destroyed an expensive piece of equipment through your stupidly, you get to pay for it
They ought to let let the guy go and charge all the LE involved with terminal mopery. Hehehe…ATF, especially.
Whoops. Who’s got de matches?
What a clever spin piece & web they weave when they practice to deceive. The Police cause the damage by making the decision to detonate the explosives there rather than remove it & transit it to another location to detonate. Whether or not the material & components is/were deemed unstable is the crux & justification. Would/Could it have been transferred to another remote location to detonate ?? We’ll never know. Could 9/11 have been handled differently were we given all the actual facts or a scripted narrative ?? Was forensic evidence tampered with ?? Police are citizens employed a government… Read more »
The damage to civilians’ homes was caused by government employees being too stupid and lazy to calculate the amount of explosive material in the fireworks and compare that to the rated maxium capacity of the TVC. By overloading the TVC, the government employees created a large bomb from fireworks.
None of the LAPD enforcers were fired. They were reassigned.
Heroes.