Contra Costa County Fire Protection District investigators arrested multiple suspects on suspicion of selling illegal fireworks.
Two suspects were arrested in Brentwood on July 3 and two in Hercules on July 2, Con Fire officials said.
The busts took hundreds of pounds of illegal fireworks off the streets.
Con Fire investigators found a social media post advertising fireworks for sale and set up a meeting with the seller July 3 in Brentwood in the 8000 block of Brentwood Boulevard, Con Fire officials said.
With the help of East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, the investigators met with the seller, confiscated the illegal fireworks and issued the seller a citation, Con Fire officials said.
Also on July 3, undercover investigators worked with Brentwood police and met with an alleged seller from Antioch in the 1600 block of Century Oaks in Brentwood. The investigators arrested Gabriel Ramirez, 25, of Antioch, on suspicion of selling illegal fireworks, according to Con Fire officials.
The investigators confiscated 101 pounds of illegal fireworks from the alleged seller, both in Brentwood and at his Antioch home, Con Fire officials said.
Posing as private citizens, Con Fire investigators set up a meeting with an individual advertising illegal fireworks for sale in Hercules on social media and arranged a purchase for July 2, fire officials said.
Enroute to the meeting, investigators arranged a stop and the seller led them to fireworks caches at his Hercules home and the home of another suspect who allegedly had a significant amount of illegal fireworks, according to fire officials.
Both suspects were cited and 157 pounds of fireworks were confiscated from the two locations, fire officials said.
They were getting them from somewhere that’s for certain. All I had to do was go out to my front deck because of the “sonic boom” over and over and not only was I hearing the laughter, but it had to have been only 3 properties South away from my home where I have 100ft Cypress trees and so do my neighbors and these foolish individuals were sending them into the air near the area of Ayers and Concord Blvd in Mushroom form with winds up. I was just praying nothing would spark a fire on a roof nearby then reach me.
Seems like we have many that don’t understand how much is at stake/risk during this drought. All it takes is one good spark in a tree/shrub etc and this valley will be gone..pure stupidity
I’ve seen enough professional shows to know, and this was short of that. Right at that corner on the East side. Made the party in the 1.3 mil dollar home behind me look like novices.
The article is missing the last paragraph.
And then they had a blast. Good work!
I wish all these fireworks fools would join the military, get sent to a combat zone, and experience first hand the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in air. It isn’t as entertaining as they might think. God, I hate the Fourth of July!
Phil—I was a helicopter door gunner in a combat zone, and I enjoy the fireworks. I also love the Fourth of July and everything the Fourth stands for….Our independence.
Thank you for your service Dawg
Guys with an eye patch and three fingers sell the best fireworks.
I can see why!
100’s of pounds of fireworks were taken off the street, and how many were launched off the streets last night? My guess: 1,000’s.
if LE didn’t try then there would have been fires everywhere, this page would be full of posts complaining about the fires, and possibly loss of life.
Thank you all LE for maintaining a minimal level of law and order in a state run by a growing group of immoral, unethical and uncivilized people.
I like it. Sorry folks, the times have changed, and these are different times. We’ve been having back to back apocalyptic fire seasons. I hope the climate magically resets itself and we can go back to the salad days of lighting off fireworks in dry grass, but for now it’s not looking good. I don’t want a Santa Rosa suburban fire storm in Concord.
Yea they caught 2 but didn’t catch the other 1000’s selling 2 blocks over for 3 days and the other countless people selling as well..
Sure it sounds good in the news but it made no significant impact at all with the sales and setting them off.
Last night there were all kinds of huge rockets going off over my house. Burning debris was falling from the sky. I was outside watering my roof and hoping for the best. I still remember when my parents home burned to the ground during the Oakland hills firestorm in 1991. These jerks don’t care about anyone except for themselves. I wish the police would catch them and they would go to jail.
By “illegal fireworks,” do they mean fireworks that are legal in almost every state except California or “fireworks” that are illegal in every state, like dynamite?
American Citizen, you are correct they do not. So sorry to hear that happened to your parents home. There were 70 calls pending when I called and I knew there was no way it could have been addressed in my situation unless I literally walked over there and attempted a “discussion”. First, not a wise move when sounded like much laughter and alcohol was involved, so for my safety, I chose to stay outside, of my home,, hose ready, (good luck with that). Climate change or not, this has to with pure and simple common sense and life and death!
They should of looted and destroyed property in Walnut Creek. Not a thing would of happened. Nada
I hate hearing these very loud boom sounds near my back yard, which scares my dog and other animals. In the Montalvin Manor area, mostly near the park or near Rachel & Heather mostly, and nearby on Jennifer Dr also. People are always shooting off these M80s or whatever mostly every day, even late at night after midnight. Yet, no sheriff or cop goes around this area to warn or apprehend them. I’m afraid it will start a fire in my area or house. I only wish they would have common sense enough to STOP THE FIRE MENANCING BOMBS!!!
Why do the Authorities fail to mention the amount of the fines? There is no deterrent, if there is not a known penalty. Was it 5 dollars, or 50 dollars or 500 dollars. Did it cover the cost of the police to respond? I wish these posts were more than propaganda. Give us some facts.