A California soccer fan was arrested for shooting fireworks at police officers to celebrate Mexico’s upset win in World Cup play.
The incident occurred in Huntington Beach, California, sometime after noon on June 17.
While fans were cheering and dancing, and cars were spinning doughnuts in the street, this gentleman went a step further.
“He bent down in the street and started firing mortar-style fireworks at the officers,” Huntington Park Police Department Lt. Paul Kraut told KTLA. “They had to move to avoid being struck by the projectiles.”
A crowd of hundreds of soccer fans flooded the streets of Huntington Beach after Mexico’s surprise victory.
Huntington Beach police were prepared for a peaceful celebration, with extra officers assigned to keep everyone safe and to keep traffic moving.
The police officers who were targeted had formed a line in the downtown business district according to Kraut.
Scenes of revelers destroying property after their favorite teams won big sporting events are all too familiar, and the Huntington Beach police decided to be proactive.
For some reason, one individual decided to aim a mortar-style firework (commonly called a “Roman Candle”) at the line of officers.
A Roman candle shoots explosive projectiles, which burst into flashes of light and sparks, but no dangerous shrapnel. However, officers could be burned or bruised.
“People like that should not do that,” said Robert Maestro, who works in a nearby business. “To mess it up for the other people who just want to have fun with their families and the kids—and they’re doing fireworks like that? That’s not right.”
The entire incident was caught on video and posted on Twitter. The perpetrator can be seen crouching down, aiming, and firing toward the police, then moving closer and firing again.
The exploding pyrotechnic balls landed right in the middle of the line of police, forcing them to scatter.
The man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Kraut reported.
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