S.F. prosecutors charge man with possessing hundreds of illegal fireworks
The San Francisco District Attorney's Office identified the man as 38-year-old Joe Lorenzo Neal Jenkins.
Prosecutors said that on June 26, at about 6 p.m., San Francisco police were tracking a U-Haul van that had been reported stolen.
In collaboration with the department's Real-Time Investigation Center, officers successfully stopped the vehicle and apprehend the alleged driver, Jenkins, in the Bayview District, prosecutors said.
Inside the van, officers discovered and seized hundreds of illegal fireworks, including rockets and barrels, prosecutors said.
Jenkins was charged on one count of unlawful driving, stolen property, possession of over 100 pounds of fireworks and of an explosive, prosecutors said
Jenkins was arraigned on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Ahead of Fourth of July, San Francisco Police Department is increasing staffing and resources to crack down on illegal firework holdings, authorities said.
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