A Los Angeles Dodgers fan seriously injured both of his hands after lighting a firework in the street to celebrate winning the World Series.
In the early hours of Thursday morning first responders arrived at the bloody scene after a 25-year-old man saw a firework explode in his hands before he was able to place it on the ground and retreat to a safe distance. The fan wore a jersey with Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s No. 22 but instead had the words “King” printed on the back.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Dept. told TMZ: “First responders got to the scene at 2:30 AM Thursday — and found the 25-year-old conscious and alert, but suffering from bilateral hand wounds.” The incident was caught from several angles as fans recorded the fan lighting the firework before the situation went wrong.
Initially, fans who were parading the streets began to brace themselves for the firework to ignite, but it combusted prematurely as sparks began to fly and the fan was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. The fan then stumbled away after being dazed by the flash, before seeing his hands pouring with blood.
Nearby fans began to scream as chunks of flesh were missing and several fingers were out of place. The fan then went to steady himself on a shop window, leaving a huge smear of blood on the glass and covering the floor as it trickled out of his hands.
It was one of many incidents that required the emergency services on Wednesday night, as chaos followed after the Dodgers won their eighth World Series, and second since 2020. At least 12 fans were arrested for several crimes, the majority for burglary.
The Los Angeles Police Department shared footage of fans looting a Nike store and throwing stock onto the street at 11 p.m. local time. The LAPD failed to disclose the total number of arrests made but did confirm that six people were arrested for commercial burglary, four for receiving stolen property, and two for failure to disperse.
Elsewhere, a “hostile crowd” of around 300 people set fire to an MTA bus at 12:35 a.m. local time according to the LAPD. The incident occurred around one mile from Dodger Stadium, as the bus was heavily graffitied before being ignited.
There was a ticketed event at Dodger Stadium for fans to watch the clinching Game 5 against the New York Yankees, due to the game being played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The Dodgers, who led the series 3-1 ahead of Wednesday night, came back from a 5-0 deficit to seal a famous 7-6 win.
The Dodgers will parade around Los Angeles on Friday to celebrate the World Series win, starting at 11 a.m. at Gloria Molina Grand Park in front of City Hall. The Dodgers were denied a parade in 2020 due to restrictions from the global pandemic, meaning that major celebrations are expected.
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