Hermosa Beach police looking for man who threw lit firework into crowd at Pride Month event - KABC-TV

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ByABC7.com staff KABC logo

Wednesday, June 28, 2023 7:19PM

Man throws lit firework into crowd at Hermosa Beach Pride event

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Hermosa Beach police are looking for a man who threw a lit firework into a crowd at a silent disco event, injuring multiple people.

Video shows the man standing off to the side of the event, lighting up a firework and tossing it into the crowd, then quickly getting onto a motorized beach cruiser and pedaling off. He appears to be accompanied by two additional people on their own bike.

The silent-disco festival was being held at Vista, at the Hermosa Beach pier as part of a series of activities to mark Pride Month. Police are still investigating and it's not clear whether anti-LGBTQ sentiment was part of the motive or whether the incident will be considered a hate crime.

The incident happened around 9:45 p.m. on June 17.

Police say fragments of the firework struck multiple people in the crowd but none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

The suspect is described as a man believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, wearing a black sweatshirt with yellow lining, dark pants, and a red, white and blue helmet.

His bicycle was a beach cruiser with a gas-powered motor and fuel tank attached under the handlebars. An American flag was flying in the back.

Anyone with information is asked to call Hermosa Beach police at (310)318-0360.