California man arrested for exploding homemade firework at shopping center
A man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly setting off a homemade firework near a Southern California shopping center, police said.
Reports of an explosion at The Village at Tustin Legacy prompted authorities to evacuate several businesses, including Chipotle, said Eric Davidson, a spokesperson for Regency Centers, which owns and operates The Village. There were no injuries and there was no damage to the shopping mall.
Tustin Police Lt. Matt Nunley said a 30-year-old man was detained after a witness reported smoke and someone walking away from the scene.
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The man was cited for three misdemeanor health and safety code violations related to the firework, and then released, the Orange County Register reported.
The firework was tube-shaped and looked potentially like a pipe bomb, Nunley said. Investigators believe it was an isolated incident, he said.
The Orange County Fire Authority said it responded to a "suspicious package." The FBI's Los Angeles Field Office also responded, which it does as a matter of routine for reported explosions, spokesperson Laura Eimiller said.
The shopping center includes restaurants, salons and gyms. Tustin is more than 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.