After the Dodgers won the World Series on Wednesday night, Gerardo Flores and his father were excited to hit the streets with their small vending cart to sell bacon-wrapped hot dogs and celebrate their hometown heroes with hundreds of other fans in Echo Park.
“It was fun, man,” Flores told L.A. TACO, after the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) ended the lively celebrations. “All we were doing [was] putting on low music and selling food, and that’s it. Everybody was having a good time.”
Things took a turn later in the night after a Metro bus was tagged inside and out, and a fireworks explosion inside the bus engulfed the vehicle in flames.
“There were already cop cars forming up on one side of the street,” Flores explained. “We were right here next to the Bank of America, minding our business. You know my dad's a food vendor. He was just trying to make a little money.”
Flores felt that he and his father were at a safe distance from the ruckus. Then they started hearing loud “bangs” go off.