The driver of an ice-cream truck on the West Side had his right foot amputated Tuesday after a 14-year-old boy tossed an illegal explosive device–known as an M-1000 and in street lingo as a “half-stick of dynamite”– through the service window of his parked vehicle, authorities said.
Ola Alabi, 38, an Alabama resident who comes to Chicago every summer to sell ice cream, was listed in fair condition in Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center. He was expected to be hospitalized for several days.
The boy, accompanied by his parents, turned himself in to police Tuesday afternoon. He was charged as a juvenile with reckless conduct.
Also on Tuesday, police announced what they said was the largest seizure of illegal fireworks in Cook County history– nearly two tons of fireworks valued at more than $250,000.
In the hospital, Alabi, in obvious pain, said he had been driving down the 5000 block of West Crystal Street at about 7:40 p.m. Monday when he stopped his truck to respond to a young girl’s shouts for ice cream.
“The next thing I heard was, `Boom!’ ” Alabi said.
The explosive device, described by police as 6 inches long and an inch in diameter, landed on the floor of the truck next to where Alabi was standing, preparing to serve the young girl. The explosion occurred as he was trying to put out the burning device with his foot, police said.
The girl, who was standing near the truck, was not injured. The explosion ripped a 12-by-12-inch hole in the floorboard and shattered the truck’s rear windshield.
Authorities described the device as a product of a black market in illegal explosives that erupts in the weeks before the 4th of July. And, as further evidence, they held a news conference Tuesday in Orland Park to display an arsenal of confiscated and illegal fireworks that went far beyond the scope of sparklers and smoke bombs that are legal in Illinois.
Police announced the arrests of three men who allegedly sold undercover officers a variety of fireworks–Miguel D. Becerra, 38, of 12017 S. 71st Ct., Palos Heights; Ronald Pekelnicky, 36, of 7925 W. 101st St., Palos Hills; and Brian Zurek, 36, of 5015 S. Ridgeway Ave., Chicago. They were charged with felony possession of illegal explosives, misdemeanor possession of fireworks with intent to sell and unlawful use of a weapon, police said.
Among the fireworks displayed were devices similar to the explosive tossed into Alabi’s truck. Investigators also confiscated sky rockets and mortar-launched aerial bombs.
Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan held a large red explosive similar to the one that injured Alabi. The device, known as an M-1000, is sold for $4 to $10 on the street, police said.
“This is not fireworks . . . this is a bomb equal to a three-quarter stick of dynamite,” Sheahan said. “We literally took hundreds of these off the street.”
The investigation began when Orland Park police received information that Becerra was involved in the illegal sale of fireworks, authorities said.
Becerra was arrested Friday night during a police sting operation in a parking lot near 159th Street and La Grange Road, where he attempted to sell fireworks to a pair of undercover officers, police said.
The investigation led to Pekelnicky, who was arrested Saturday after bomb-sniffing dogs found a large supply of fireworks in a rented storage unit in Alsip, police said.
Zurek was arrested at his home on the Southwest Side, where he allegedly sold large quantities of fireworks, police said.
Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy said police involved in the sting operation were told that as the July 4 holiday approached, illegal fireworks would double in price.
Authorities said parents should be reminded that the only safe way to view fireworks is at a professional show.
Devices such as the M-1000 that injured Alabi cannot be classified as fireworks, they said, given their extreme power and illegal status.
“These devices are extremely explosive because of their size and the damage they can do,” said Jerry Singer, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
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For four summers, Alabi has come to Chicago from his home in Huntsville, Ala., where he sells clothes and hats the rest of the year.
He drives his own ice-cream truck and can earn as much as $300 a night, much more than he would make doing the same work in Alabama, he said.
During the summer, Alabi lives in an Alsip motel, along with three friends, all Nigerian immigrants like himself. Alabi’s wife and son live in Nigeria, he said.
“I wish they were here,” he said from his hospital bed. “I am going through all this by myself.”
Becerra was released Monday on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, police said. Pekelnicky and Zurek were released after posting $5,000 bail.