02.20.2024 | 1:00 PM | TUSTIN – An explosion outside a bank caused by a firework prompted a large police response and evacuations followed by the arrest of one man suspected of causing the explosion, Tuesday afternoon.
Police and fire officials responded to reports of an explosion near the Bank of America in The Village at Tustin Legacy shopping center, located in the 15000 block of Kensington Park Drive around 1:00 PM.
At the scene an explosive device was found on the sidewalk adjacent to the bank and police began evacuating nearby businesses while instructing residents across the street to shelter-in-place.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad later determined the mortar-style firework had exploded and that there was no further threat to the public.
Police say they arrested a Los Angeles man who was seen walking away from the explosion and that the man could be facing felony charges.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center are assisting in the investigation.
Most first responders had cleared the scene of the incident by around 3:00 PM and the operations of a nearby school appeared uninterrupted.