While all fireworks are illegal in Riverside County and many fire-prone areas of Southern California, illegal sellers are going above and beyond in an attempt to evade the law.
That includes 23-year-old Vincent Lozano III of Riverside.
When authorities with Riverside Police Department’s Technical Services Unit (TSU) and Riverside Fire Department’s Arson Investigations Unit ambushed his home in the 5800 block of Clifton Avenue in the Hillside neighborhood, they discovered 1,000 pounds of dangerous and illegal fireworks on his backyard patio.
Among the dangerous items he had, according to police, there were about 100 individual destructive devices, including M-80 style explosives that are banned by the ATF as they could cause “damage to fingers, hands and eyes.”
Lozano was arrested at his home for possession of more than 100 pounds of dangerous fireworks and destructive devices.
He is also facing weapons violations for having firearms next to illegal explosives.
Lozano was booked for child endangerment as well as the illegal fireworks were accessible to his children living at home.
Anyone found using illegal fireworks within Riverside city limits could face an $1,500 fine.
