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Heartwell Park. At 9:50 a.m., police were called in about a possible firework in the park near Clark Avenue. In various Nextdoor postings, the device was described as a wad of $100 bills or a “big cigar wrapped in hundreds.” A third poster stated, “Brought it home! called cops and yes! it was a full on bomb with one part missing.” Another poster noted, “Bomb squad just blew something up 12:25 p.m.” Despite these postings, police were unable to say whether the device was a firework or something more sinister, like an unexploded bomb. Traffic on Parkcrest Street at Charlemagne Avenue was shut down for several hours.

Conant Street at Palo Verde Avenue. In the second such call of the day, the L.A. County Sheriff Department blocked off the intersection because of a suspicious device in the flood control channel at 6 p.m., not opening to traffic until the 10 p.m. According to the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station watch commander, the bomb squad took a sample from the object to test whether it contained explosive material or not.

Wardlow Road and Studebaker Road. An 8:30 p.m. collision involving two vehicles resulted in one of the parties leaving the scene in a supposed stolen car, with police cordoning off the area in search of the malefactor.

Willow Street Blue Line Station. At 10:30 p.m., a Blue Line passenger suffered a medical condition, possibly a seizure. To avert a possible delay of the train caused by the arrival of paramedics, a 65-year-old white male passenger garbed in a business suit and tie pulled the unconscious victim onto the platform, threw his belongings out after him, and took his seat while a fellow passenger named Billion taped the incident. Allegedly the guy in the business suit mentioned something about not wanting to inconvenience others on the train. Asked why he didn’t try to stop the man in the suit, Billion said if the cops saw him grab the white guy, they’d assume it was a case of a black guy committing a crime and he might face problems as a result of that assumption. The guy in the suit then left the train and the platform before authorities arrived. The business suit guy was later identified and police said they’d interview him.

Pacific Coast Highway and Maine Avenue. At 8:30 p.m. officers were called to a case of a vehicle that had struck male pedestrian while he attempted to cross the street, which does not have crosswalks. The female driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. She was not arrested or cited, officials said. The intersection was closed until after midnight for a police investigation.

68th Way and Muriel Avenue. At 11:30 a.m., a man was wounded by gunfire that may have been gang-related. The suspect or suspects having fled, the victim was transported to a local hospital with what appeared to be a non-life threatening injury to his torso.

Signal Hill and East Long Beach. A small 2.7-magnitude earthquake struck at 3:42 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. According to authorities, there were no immediate reports of damage. About 400 people reported feeling the earthquake. A woman who lives near Heartwell Park stated the shaking slowly moved across her bedroom and stopped with a jolt. Quake over, she then went back to sleep.

Alamitos Bay. At the second day of competition of the Sprint Nationals Boat Races at Marine Stadium, two speed boats crashed at about 100 miles per hour in front of spectators at 10:30 a.m. Greg Duff’s boat went airborne in a turn, then crashed, badly injuring him. The fire department responded to the accident and transported the victim to the hospital in critical condition, where he was placed in the intensive-care unit with severe head trauma, a broken elbow and a ruptured spleen. The other driver was not injured. More than 80 drivers competed in the races and the program went on after Duff was transported.

710 Freeway on ramp at Seventh Street. A car smashed through a guardrail, falling about 75 feet to an access road below at 7:35 a.m. Only one car was involved in the crash, which happened after the driver lost control. Paramedics took the woman driver and her male passenger to the hospital. With crews putting up barriers to replace the damaged guardrail, the on ramp was expected to reopen at 9:45 a.m.

300 Cherry Ave. At 10:45 a.m., a man set fire to some clothes in the middle of the street around the corner from Retro Row. Whether thrift shop rejects, unknown.

235 W. Broadway. At 2:45 p.m., came a report of a Frisbee with wires attached and some writing on it. Still another case for the bomb squad. Close local streets, plug up your ears.

steve@beachcomber.news