SAN ANTONIO - Caught red-handed, now some violators will have to pay up. Officials cracked down on those who bought fireworks and tried to take them into the city.
The parking lot at one fireworks stand was full on the Fourth of July and not far from there our cameras were right along side of Capt. Chris Casals, an arson investigator.
"We'll be out here for a couple of hours," said Casals.
Casals is what you call a "spotter" and he was keeping a close eye out for those folks breaking the law.
"I will radio ahead to somebody else that this person I witnessed them buying fireworks and that they are headed to San Antonio with those fireworks," said Casals.
Just down the street from Casals' unmarked vehicle are two officers in a marked unit that are standing by waiting for his phone call.
"There's a white - looks like a Toyota Camry - black bumper headed your way," said Casals over the phone as he had just spotted the driver purchasing fireworks and headed into the city.
Once the violator is pulled over the fireworks are confiscated and an officer writes them a ticket. It's a cycle these guys do every Fourth of July and New Year's Eve.
"There are some real dangers with this. In 1992 we had a twelve-year-old girl hit with a bottle rocket," Casais recalled.
There is also the danger of starting a fire - just some reasons why the city of San Antonio banned fireworks.
Still, Capt. Casals said there are those who insist on sneaking them in and you can bet these guys will be there to spot them out.
