In 1973, the state of California banned what is considered to be dangerous fireworks. According to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 1251, this ban includes skyrockets, roman candles, rockets, sparklers, party poppers, paper caps, fountains, and smoke bombs. While the thrill and excitement of dangerous fireworks were in vogue at the time, all of them have been known to cause serious injury, or worse, if misused.
ABC in Los Angeles reports that the Riverside Police Department released a video showing a driver stopping at the intersection of University and Orange Street downtown.
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The incident that happened on Monday, June 1st, shows the driver getting out of his vehicle, lighting a firework, and then tossing it into the middle of a nearby protest. The driver was about to flee the scene when a protester picked up the firecracker and threw the lit firework back into the vehicle.
Moments later, smoke filled the car and the device exploded.
Immediately following the detonation of the firecracker, the driver of the vehicle and other onlookers can be seen assaulting the person who threw the firework into the car.
After examining the video footage, police were able to trace the vehicle back to its owner, 20-year-old Gabriel Castillo of Perris. Riverside Police placed Castillo under arrest for possession and use of illegal fireworks. According to authorities, Castillo was also in violation of his previous probation for evading police.
Castillo was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center and is being held on a $50,000 bond.
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