Man arrested for throwing explosive device under a police car

The Panama City Beach Police Department has arrested a 19-year-old from Alabama after officers say he threw a firework under a police patrol car.

“Let me emphasize what happened here,” Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez said. “This guy threw a large firework that exploded under the gas tank of my police officer’s vehicle while my police officer was inside, while he was parked at a gas station with several people around.”

Police report they were called to disperse a crowd near the Circle K on Front Beach Road around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Officers say the incident was captured on social media. The video shows the marked patrol vehicle parked near a gas pump with its lights flashing. As the crowd disperses onto South Thomas Drive, the officer returns to his vehicle.

Read more: WJHG (Panama City Beach, FL)