Los Angeles to pay $21M to settle claims over botched fireworks detonation by police 3 years ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles will pay more than $21 million to settle claims by residents of a neighborhood where police bungled the detonation of a cache of illegal fireworks, injuring 17 people and displacing dozens of others three years ago. The City Council unanimously approved the payments Tuesday and the settlements will now go to Mayor Karen Bass for approval. The LAPD bomb squad packed nearly 40 pounds of the most volatile fireworks into an armored containment vessel that was rated for only 33 pounds, according to a federal report. The vessel exploded, and debris rained down on scores of homes, businesses and vehicles.