Officials in several Southern California cities warned ahead of Independence Day that they would be on the lookout for illegal fireworks and would levy large fines on those who violated the law.
In Stanton, however, it seems they took that crackdown to a new level.
As reported by the Orange County Register, one Stanton resident was given a $300,000 citation for the illegal shooting of 300 fireworks. Each violation was a $1,000 fine, resulting in the eye-popping number.
And they were far from alone.
While that fine was by far the largest, city officials told the Register, citations totaling nearly $1 million were handed out after the holiday.
“We’re really trying to send across a message about how serious of an issue this is, right?,” Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn told the Register. “I mean, yes, on the one hand, it sounds like a large number, but when you read our ordinance and you realize they had to discharge, sell, or store 300 individual illegal fireworks in a community that is highly dense with properties right next to each other and crowds in the street and you realize what they were willing to risk, I think that helps put into perspective.”
Fireworks detonated and killed several people in Southern California this summer alone, including an 8-year-old girl in Buena Park and a person in Simi Valley.
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