Man throws fireworks into Pride celebration

Police in Hermosa Beach, California are stepping up efforts to track down a young man and his cohorts who threw a lit firework into the middle of a crowded dance floor in the Southern California beach city two weeks ago.

Authorities say multiple people were injured in the attack.

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“We are investigating this as a possible hate crime,” said Hermosa Beach Police Capt. Landon Phillips. “We cannot rule that out. This was advertised as a Pride event. It appears the subject stopped there specifically, waited for a few minutes, and then threw the explosive into the crowd.”

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On Tuesday, cops posted video of the incident at the Vista restaurant and bar on the Strand, fronting the beach in Hermosa, which showed three young men loitering outside as revelers filled a patio with a “silent disco.” Dancers in rainbow-hued apparel can be seen through the restaurant’s open doors.

Outside, one young man, dressed in a Baja hoodie, lights a substantial firework and tosses it through the restaurant entrance, before climbing on a gas-powered bicycle and fleeing. He was followed by his two accomplices on another bike with all-terrain tires.

Police posted the video – which has since been removed – in a renewed effort to track down the suspects, who’ve eluded capture more than two weeks after the incident.

HBPD did not reveal the source of the recording.

“On June 17th, 2023, at approximately 9:45 PM, HBPD officers received a 911 call at Vista (11 Pier Avenue) regarding fireworks,” the police post reads. “Officers spoke with the 911 caller who reported that a subject threw a lit firework into a crowd of people at Vista, who were participating in a silent disco event. The 911 caller told officers the firework exploded in the middle of the crowd and fragments of the firework hit multiple people. At this time, the injuries sustained are non-life threatening.”

Police described the primary suspect as a male, “18-25 years old, wearing a black sweatshirt with yellow lining, dark pants, and a red, white, and blue helmet.”

The bicycle was identified as “a beach cruiser with an attached gas-powered motor, a fuel tank attached under the handlebars, and an American Flag to the rear of the bicycle.”

Event organizer Adam Molvani said the explosive landed just feet from him.

“It was very scary,” Molvani told ABC-7 in Los Angeles. “It was pretty traumatic for some of us, especially because it was a Pride event and you just never know what that might attract. There’s some crazy people out there.”

Molvani said two of his employees were injured in the blast, with one woman suffering a minor leg wound and another with burn holes blown through his shirt.

“It was a pretty powerful blast and everybody’s ears were ringing,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Hermosa Beach Police are encouraging anyone with information about the crime to reach out to the department.