Four boys were injured during a Fourth of July celebration Tuesday night in San Bernardino.
Police were called to the 2300 block of Cedar Street about 8:40 p.m. to assist fire crews with a medical aid call regarding three boys injured as a result of an aerosol canister explosion, San Bernardino Police Department Lt. Mike Madden said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the children were trying to light up the aerosol can.
Investigator reported that only three boys were injured but a fourth victim was later identified by his mother.
Demarquez Mitchell, 8, ran home directly following the incident so investigators did not find him at the scene, the boy’s mother said.
He suffered cuts all over his chest, neck and face.
The boys were allegedly making slime with shaving cream when one of the boys put a piece of wood inside the can and lit it. The flame caused the can to explode, Mitchell said.
“He lite it and then it blew up. I jumped on the floor and started running,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell’s mother told KTLA that she is taking her son to the hospital. The other three boys are 8, 9 and 10 years old, according to Madden.
“The injuries ranged from superficial facial and appendage injuries, to more serious injuries to include potential loss of appendages,” Madden said.
A neighbor described the chaotic scene.
“All I saw was tissue, skin and flesh on the sidewalk … It was just crazy, chaos,” neighbor Christan Knox said.
The boys are all believed to be neighbors living on the same street, Madden said.
No illegal fireworks were found at the home Tuesday night, police said.
The mother of the 10-year-old told KTLA the boy had been released from the hospital and was back at home Wednesday.
She said he would need to have his eyes and hearing checked sometime this week.
It was unclear if the other two boys were still hospitalized.
Multiple adults were in the area at the time of the incident but authorities were still investigating whether the boys were being supervised.
The stepfather of one of the children, who was supervising the boys, may face child endangerment charges, police said.
“This is just yet another example of how dangerous fireworks can be,” Madden said.
Myla Burnett, mother of one of the victims, said her son was concerned about sleeping in his own home after returning from the hospital. She said the boy asked her which room was the safest to sleep in.
“Hopefully this will be a lesson learned, not just for the kids, but for the parents to keep an eye on their children.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Police Department at 909-384-5742.
KTLA’s Mariel Turner and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this story.
