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Illegal fireworks show lights up downtown Los Angeles

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Illegal fireworks show lights up downtown Los Angeles

What appeared to be a professional fireworks display that lit up Little Tokyo Sunday night shocked many residents in downtown Los Angeles, and now police are searching for the people who launched the illegal pyrotechnics.  

Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that an estimated 100 rounds of illegal fireworks were set off not far from Little Tokyo, but so far no one is sure who is responsible for the massive display.  

“It kept going off for a long time. It woke up my roommates,” Little Tokyo resident Andrew Terveer told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. 

The mysterious barrage, which was captured on video, lasted about 30 minutes, according to neighbors who not only heard them but felt the explosions too.  

“We would hear the window shake every time there was a bang, we would hear the windows rattle,” John Zambrana said.  

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While the sound of illegal fireworks is pretty common in downtown L.A., Sunday’s unannounced show was more like the grand finale.  

  • Illegal fireworks show erupts in downtown L.A.
  • Illegal fireworks show erupts in downtown L.A.
  • Illegal fireworks show erupts in downtown L.A.
  • Illegal fireworks show erupts in downtown L.A.
  • Illegal fireworks show erupts in downtown L.A.

“We had all of our doors and windows closed, but it was pretty loud,” Cynthia Nyeh recalled.  

Nyeh said that the explosions didn’t really bother her dog, Hopper, all that much.  

“I really thought that it was a mistake or an accident or maybe a fireworks warehouse, something happened there,” she said. “It was weird.”  

The pyrotechnics were set off in a parking lot adjacent to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, where spent fireworks boxes were scattered about.  

LAPD is investigating the incident, saying the fireworks show was no accident and that it was definitely planned.  

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“I don’t know,” Terveer said. “I was going to say kids, but it was way too much money for them to be kids. I don’t know who’s behind this mischief.”  

Though no one was injured in the incident, it is illegal to set off fireworks in L.A. Anyone with information about the illegal fireworks show is urged to contact the LAPD.  

Los Angeles, Ca

Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles

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Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles

A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.

The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center. 

He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.

He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.

A male patient in his 30s was found injured in downtown Los Angeles on June 22, 2026. (Los Angeles General Medical Center)

He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.

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Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.

The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Clue may identify SUV in Long Beach hit-and-run that left woman injured

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Clue may identify SUV in Long Beach hit-and-run that left woman injured

Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten

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‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten

WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence

A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.

The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.

Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.

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A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)

The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.

“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”

According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.

“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.

When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.

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“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”

Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.

“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”

  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack

The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.

“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”

Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.

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“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.

The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.

Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.

“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.

“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”

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