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8,000 lbs of illegal fireworks seized at Norwalk storage facility

By Brian Hews

Truck load of illegal fireworks seized in Norwalk

Los Cerritos Community Newspaper can confirm that Deputies at the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station conducted an investigation after getting a tip about “a large quantity of illegal fireworks” being stored in a public storage locker.

A large cache of illegal fireworks was confiscated by the Norwalk Sheriff’s Department in what Captain Patrick Maxwell called a “major threat to the community.”
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper can confirm that Deputies at the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station conducted an investigation after getting a tip about “a large quantity of illegal fireworks” being stored in a public storage locker.
The incident took place at 11:30 on Tuesday morning.
Maxwell said Deputies contacted the site manager at the Extra Space Storage facility located at 10950 Firestone Boulevard and confirmed the storage unit in question was being rented by the individual being investigated.
Deputy Corby Brown, a K-9 handler with the Transit Services Bureau’s bomb detection unit, responded to the location with an explosive detection K-9, a dog named Wilson, and conducted a systematic search of the storage lockers.
During the search, K-9 Wilson alerted to the target locker and based on the information received during this investigation, coupled with the fact the explosive detection K-9 alerted to the storage locker in question,
Maxwell said “this storage locker contained explosives which presented an immediate threat to the community and caused exigent circumstances to enter the storage locker and render it safe.”
The total weight of the fireworks was in excess of 8,000 pounds, with a street value over $20,000. The fireworks were turned over to the Los Angeles County Fire Department for safe disposal.
The suspect, the registered owner of the public storage unit, although not in custody, is known and a criminal case against him will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
Members of the public are reminded about the seriousness of possessing illegal fireworks and are encouraged to report such activity to their local law enforcement agency.
If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Watch Commander at Norwalk Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (562) 863-8711. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org