Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s laudable attempt to warn of the dangers of fireworks may have backfired when his PSA video instead showcased a fun use for the mini-explosives -- igniting fruit.

Garcetti tweeted out a video on his Twitter account Monday showing a watermelon being “completely destroyed” by a firework that he said was the size of a stick of gum.



“#Fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles and even small ones can cause a lot of damage,” he said.



The impact of the statement was probably not helped by the video's creative use of slow motion, which showed the full awesomeness of the watermelon’s demolition -- perhaps even encouraging thrill seekers to emulate the stunt.



Users on Twitter seemed to believe the same, with responses suggesting that it was only going to instigate the behavior it was trying to discourage.



“Awesome! Please provide exact details on firework used,” one user tweeted. “100% doing that this 4th of July.”



“I hope you realize this was the best possible advertisement for fireworks to any male age 10-23,” said another.



Mayor Garcetti later tweeted out a video promoting the same message and encouraging residents to “find a safe, legal show near you” but this time without the presence of exploding fruit.

