Video shows âmortar styleâ firework exploding under Panama City Beach police car; Alabama teen charged
A 19-year-old Alabama resident is facing multiple charges after Panama City Beach police say he threw a “mortar style” firework under a police cruiser Thursday night.
Police say an officer responded to a Circle K store on Front Beach Road about 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning in response to a report of an unruly crowd.
Video of the incident, captured on social media and provided to AL.com by the Panama City Beach Police Department, shows the police cruiser parked near the gas pumps. The crowd disperses in several directions and the officer returns to the vehicle, but one male is seen lighting a firework and throwing it at the police unit.
Police said the firework landed under the fuel tank, igniting a large explosion, followed by a secondary explosion.
The suspect, later identified as Dontavius Jules Bradberry, fled the scene on foot. Once he was identified, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was tracked down to Florala, Ala., where law enforcement officials took him into custody.
Bradberry, once transported to Panama City, will be formally charged with unlawfully throwing/discharging a destructive device, and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.