Families impacted by 2021 botched LAPD firework detonation to be awarded settlement funds
Families impacted by the Los Angeles Police Department's 2021 botched fireworks detonation in a South Los Angeles neighborhood are to receive settlement funds, the Los Angeles City Council decided Tuesday.
The Council approved settlement agreements totaling more than $21 million with some of the affected residents, many of whom still live in a hotel.
In a unanimous vote, council members backed the settlements, which cover 17 claimants. Some victims received hundreds of thousands of dollars and others upward of $1 million, according to court documents.
On June 30, 2021, LAPD attempted to detonate a cache of fireworks seized from the backyard of a home on 27th Street.
An LAPD truck containing the fireworks exploded, resulting in the injury of 17 people, damaging 35 homes and displacing 80 residents.
At the time, the Red Cross set up a shelter, assisting evacuated people with food and shelter.
Councilman Curren Price, who represents the impacted area, said that victims of the fireworks explosion have "endured unimaginable pain and trauma that will last a lifetime." He called the settlements a crucial step toward their healing and finding stability.
"Over the past three years, this process has been agonizingly slow, and on behalf of the city of Los Angeles, I regret that it took so long to reach this point," Price said. "However, getting here wasn't easy and required the collective effort of multiple departments, lawyers, and other stakeholders, presenting significant challenges along the way."
Price had requested as part of the resolution to allow families staying at the Level Hotel in downtown to continue residing there until February 2025. That offer is for those who have not yet agreed to a financial settlement with the city.
For the 19 people whose settlements were approved Tuesday, they have a certain time frame to transition out of the hotel.
The settlement agreements still need to be signed off by Mayor Karen Bass.
