Hot wheels: CHP busts high-speed drivers for illegal fireworks on California highways

A car racing down Highway 50 on Wednesday night in Placerville was “loaded” with illegal fireworks, the California Highway Patrol said in a social media post.

The CHP’s Placerville unit said in a Facebook message that officers who stopped the vehicle for speeding noticed a large stash of illicit pyrotechnics.

Deputies arrested the driver — identified by El Dorado County jail logs as Ryan James Howard, 36. Howard remains in the Placerville jail in lieu of $557,000 bond and faces two felony charges — illegal possession of an explosive and reckless possession of an explosive on a public street — along with enhancements, according to the logs.

Another large trove of fireworks was discovered by patrolmen in Vacaville on Thursday night, after they stopped a white Dodge Caravan driving over 100 mph on Interstate 80, according to the CHP’s Solano office.

“A large amount of illegal fireworks were immediately observed in plain sight throughout the vehicle,” the officers said in another Facebook post.

Officers issued citations for speeding, driving with two unrestrained infants in the car, and for driving without a valid driver’s license. The vehicle was also impounded as a result of the latter offense. An investigation, which will determine final criminal charges, is ongoing.