Log in

1 arrested after setting off 'mortar-type firework' near Southern California shopping center

Posted

TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — One person was arrested Tuesday after they allegedly set off a “mortar-type 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.

The Tustin Police Department said one person was taken into custody but did not provide further details, such as exactly where the suspect lit the firework.

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 (48.28 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.