A Los Angeles Dodgers fan suffered severe injuries to his hands after a firework exploded prematurely during the team’s World Series victory celebrations on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old man, donned in a Dodgers jersey with the number 22, was seen carrying a lit firework into a downtown LA crosswalk. The incident was captured in a video that has since been widely circulated online.
The video shows the firework detonating in the man’s hands before he could place it and move away. The explosion enveloped him in smoke, scattering sparks and blood across the avenue. The man, visibly shocked, stumbled away from the scene, his hands covered in blood with visible injuries.
Bystanders rushed to the man’s aid, calling for emergency services. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene, stating that the man was conscious and alert but had suffered bilateral hand wounds. Officials described the injuries as “debilitating.”
The unfortunate incident occurred amidst chaotic celebrations across the city, as fans reveled in the Dodgers’ second World Series title in four years. The jubilation, however, was marred by instances of vandalism and looting. At least a dozen people were arrested following commercial burglaries, including the ransacking of a Nike store.
In another incident, a crowd of 200 to 300 people, many of them wearing Dodgers jerseys, vandalized a city bus with graffiti before setting it on fire. The incident occurred approximately a mile from Dodger Stadium, with the crowd chanting “Let’s go, Dodgers!” as the bus burned.
The Dodgers secured their eighth world championship with a 7-6 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx. The World Series parade is scheduled to take place Friday in downtown LA.