Teacher stopped by police and fined $500 for buying 'legal' fireworks

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas teacher set out to buy safe, sane, legal fireworks in order to celebrate the Fourth of July with his family.

Instead, he got hit with a citation, had his fireworks confiscated, and is out hundreds of dollars.

WATCH: Teacher stopped by police and fined $500 for buying 'legal' fireworks

Like many locals these days, supporting a family in a challenging economy, second grade teacher Errol Aiken says he's never one to pass up a good deal. So when he received coupons from a fireworks store in Pahrump, he thought he had found a way to celebrate on a budget.

"You buy some, get some free. Get a deal off on fireworks. I said oh, that's great," Aiken said. "I can save money on the fireworks and the fireworks had lower prices too, so that coupon motivated me to just go check it out."

This was his first time to Pahrump and he brought his two daughters with him to select some items. He says he specifically asked staff which fireworks were legal in Clark County and they directed him to fountains, which were labeled safe and sane.

"Before I left, before I made the purchase, I said okay, one more time. Can you please review the cart and tell me are these legal for me to purchase? I'm from Las Vegas and I want to check one more time," Aiken explained. "Someone came over, looked at the cart, and said it's fine."

However, it wasn't fine. Ten minutes after Aiken left the store, he was stopped by law enforcement, once he crossed the line into Clark County. Officers confiscated his family's newly-purchased fireworks and gave him a $500 citation.

Errol Aiken

"The officer said to me, no fireworks are legal. They're all illegal. I was in shock," Aiken said. "I said I don't understand. Why would they do that?"

Fireworks labeled "Safe and Sane" are legal in Las Vegas. However, there's a catch. We took a closer look at Clark County's description, which says any fireworks purchased from other jurisdictions, even those that are labeled safe and sane, are likely to be illegal. That's because they haven't been tested and approved to be sold at local stands.

"We test them out for the fact they don't burn too long. They also don't fly higher than a foot and they don't shoot any sparks that go too high up in the air," Clark County Fire Inspector Martin Casillas said. "If they are not inspected and approved by the county, we could have injuries to the public. We can have injuries to children."

That includes fireworks sold by vendors in Pahrump, Amargosa Valley, and the Moapa Band of Pauites.

Aiken didn't know that and thought he'd asked all the right questions at the store. He also had a question for the authorities.

How did law enforcement who pulled him over know what he had in his car?

He said the officer told him that while he was buying fireworks, Aiken was under surveillance.

"They informed me they have plain clothes officers and I said well, great. If had a plain clothes officer there, they would have noticed that I was asking employees is it legal? Is it legal? Is it legal? No comment to the police officer but then I thought, why would they let me out of the store if I was clearly asking is it legal?"

I reached out to Metro to find out.

They didn't answer our questions about how Aiken was caught or if they had a plain clothes officer watching him while he shopped in Pahrump. Here's what they said previously in a June press conference.

"We have established a few points strategically around the valley to stop people as we surveil people coming in and bringing in the illegal fireworks," Captain Jonathan Riddle said. "But we also have units across the valley, patrol units and covert units, that are stopping people that might be lighting them earlier than the Fourth of July and taking those as well."

So far in 2025, Metro says they've cited 56 people and seized approximately 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks and they expect those numbers to grow. They say what they're doing is nothing new, writing "LVMPD began conducting fireworks enforcement efforts in Clark County. We are not operating in other jurisdictions or on tribal land."

However, we've learned that's not true. We've asked them to clarify what they mean by saying "not operating in other jurisdictions" because Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told me that last weekend, he asked Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill to stop undercover operations in Pahrump. He says he made that request after McGill received complaints from customers, fireworks stores, attorneys, and the Nye County Manager.

Sheriff McGill says McMahill told him that Metro would transition to a checkpoint, similar to what they do for DUI enforcement.

Sources tell 13 Investigates the same thing is happening in Moapa. A viewer shared this photo taken on Monday showing Metro officers waiting just outside of tribal land.

Channel 13 Viewer

There, the Moapa River Police Department confirmed that Metro notified them "in advance of the operation and has been transparent with regular updates."

"We have been actively monitoring LVMPD's operation," a statement reads in part. "We have no reason to believe it's being conducted within the MBOP Tribal Lands."

You can see their full statement below.

Aiken says his family's experience has put a serious damper on their holiday spirit.

"Because my children are older, this is probably going to be the last time I touch or even deal with a firework. Period. Legal or illegal," Aiken said. "I don't want the liability anymore. It's ridiculous."

Aiken contacted Phantom Fireworks about what he called "a serious incident of misrepresentation." In an emailed response, Customer Service Supervisor Karen Diegan confirmed the products he purchased are Safe and Sane, but said police can still confiscate them. She wrote, "Unfortunately once you sign the waiver and leave with the products, you are responsible for them, which means we are not liable when you leave the showroom. This is a very unfortunate situation and I am sorry it happened to you and your family."

Phantom would not give him his requested $178.23 refund for the confiscated fireworks.

He filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and the Nevada Attorney General.

He did pay the $500 fine but signed up for a pending hearing to contest the citation.

If you have additional questions about fireworks enforcement, you can see LVMPD's full First Tuesday presentation below.