Fireworks in Westwood attract police
By Laura Belyavski
Jan. 24, 2010 9:48 p.m.
Fireworks went off in Westwood around 1 a.m. Friday, and university police, the Los Angeles Police Department and a helicopter came to patrol the 600 block of Kelton Avenue minutes later.
University police responded to a call from 606 Levering Ave. that reported the incident, said UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.
LAPD also responded to a call that reported possible gun fire. They arrived and soon left the area once it was determined that the sound had been fireworks, said LAPD spokeswoman Sara Faden.
Greenstein said fireworks are illegal in Westwood, but are set off in the area a few times a year.
The helicopter was an LAPD unit that patrols the Los Angeles area, monitors police radios, and responds to situations that may benefit from their assistance, Faden said.
“What they’re scanning for is if there’s any unusual activity,” she said.
Once it was determined that there was no threat to the community, units dispersed, according to Faden.
Johnson Kwok, a fourth-year business economics student who lives on the 600 block of Veteran Avenue saw the fireworks and helicopter from his apartment window.
“We just heard some explosion sounds that sounded like fireworks,” he said.
Kwok said he did not feel that he was in danger, since he recognized the sound immediately.
“It was fun to watch,” he said.
