On the night of last Christmas, a 34-year-old man allegedly shot commercial-grade fireworks into the sky in Inglewood until one particular set landed on an apartment building. According to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, the blast "destroyed" the building and shattered window glass that lacerated the face of one woman.

"It looked like a war zone," said Inglewood police chief Mark Fronterotta during a news conference on Tuesday.

Hochman, Fronterotta and other public officials cited that example to illustrate why they say those celebrating the Fourth of July holiday on Friday should leave fireworks to the professionals. 

Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who has decades of experience in law enforcement before entering politics, said modern fireworks are oftentimes considered improvised explosive devices.  

Fireworks of all kinds are illegal in Inglewood as of this year, Fronterotta said, even including those that are labeled "Safe and Sane" in California. They're also , and the county is cracking down on illegal usage this week as fireworks season begins.

"I don't want any misunderstandings later on when we do arrest people for us, and they say to us, 'Well, I didn't think it was a big deal. We've been lighting off fireworks for years and nobody did much about it,'" Hochman said. "That's changed. We take this very seriously and we're going to do something about it."

Hochman admitted that he is a lifelong fan of fireworks and enjoys attending public displays every Fourth of July, but says those with experience and permits should be the ones setting them off.

"It presents a huge public safety threat every time someone wants to selfishly say 'I want to be the one to set off fireworks,'" Hochman said. "We are not so removed from six months ago when parts of Los Angeles burned."