Los Angeles continued its headlong descent into lawlessness over the weekend as a mob ransacked an auto-parts store and a gang of e-bike riding teens terrorized vacationing families with illegal fireworks.
Hermosa Beach Pier was teeming with young families enjoying their Saturday night when a group of unruly teens rolled in and turned the entertainment district into a warzone, launching several powerful fireworks into the crowd, video shows.
Several bystanders received minor injuries, including a woman who was struck in the face and a man who got hit in the head. Several young children narrowly escapted flaming sparks propelled from the rocket’s explosion.
The chaos kicked off around 8:30 p.m. and was initially reported as an explosion at Pier Plaza. Police later determined that the dangerous mayhem was the work a group of juveniles, who rode up on e-bikes and set off the fireworks before fleeing the scene.
Cops nabbed two of the minors thought to be part of the dangerous impromptu display and notified their parents, NBC reported. Video of the incident led police to discover the identity of another youth who is believed to have set off the fireworks. No arrests have yet been made.
California’s coastal cities have been dealing with an uptick in crimes committed by wayward teenagers on e-bikes, typically involving vandalism or assault.
Hours after Saturday’s fireworks assault, an Auto Zone store was looted by a mob of at least 50 people about 15 miles inland in South Los Angeles, according to the LAPD.
Wild footage of the incident shows the massive crowd flooding into the store at Century Boulevard and Hoover Street through a smashed security gate and plate glass window.
The looters, many of whom obscured their identities with masks and sweatshirt hoods, could be seen exiting the store with their arms loaded with boxes of merchandise.
The store’s entryway was left strewn with broken glass and discarded items Monday morning.
One arrest has been made so far, according to CBS.