Dennis RomeroSee also: Boston Marathon Explosions Injure Several Runners; Race Called Off.
A Los Angeles resident who happened to be near the second blast in Boston today told LA Weekly what he experienced.
Jahcobie Cosom, 22, is a recent CalArts graduate was in his hometown of Boston preparing to unveil a play he had been working on when he happened upon the explosions:
He said he was with friends, headed to a Starbucks to work on his taxes and maybe catch a glimpse of the marathon — he also planned to photograph the finish line for an L.A. friend who's a runner — when the second explosion happened about 10 feet away, near the coffee shop he had yet to enter.
Cosom says the second blast on Boylston Street was just as big as the first but that there were more people near the original explosion — it was close to the finish line — resulting in more injury and havoc there:
I would say they were equal, but there were more people around the first blast.
Right after the initial explosion, “the first thing I saw, was — boom — I looked toward the finish line there was smoke rising up real fast,” he said.
Cosom continued:
Facing north, we all went to go run right. Then, within seconds, the second one went boom. We were caught between two explosions. Some people went down a side street and the rest of us were pushing each other to get into a cigar store. Shoving and pushing. It was chaotic. We didn't feel safe staying in there.
It was hectic outside. A guy was laying in the middle of the street, his leg was bleeding a lot.
Across the street a kid and some other people were seriously injured. One of the runners was trying to put a shirt over a wound on the little kid's leg.
People were jumping off bleachers to get away from the first explosion. When the second one went off, a lady flew backward and she fell down.
Credit: Jahcobie Cosom / Facebook
Cosom said he and his friends found safety about three miles away. He has video of the aftermath that he was hoping to send to us if he could find a good wi-fi connection. Stay tuned.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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