California Agency Detonates Grenade In Station's Lawn

Photo courtesy of Arcadia PD.

The Arcadia (Calif.) Police Department disposed of a historic grenade brought in by a Los Angeles resident by burying it in the lawn at the station and detonating it, the agency announced on its blog.

On Wednesday, a 60-year-old woman staying with friends in Arcadia brought in a World War II-era hand grenade. The grenade was found in her Los Angeles garage, and she believes it belonged to her father who served in World War II. The woman brought the grenade to the police station for disposal.

The live grenade had been left in the woman's car which was parked in the public parking lot between city hall and the police department. As a precaution, public access was limited, the area was blocked off, and city staff was asked to remain inside the facilities.

Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad responded to assist with the incident. The deputies determined that the grenade was a live "Mills Bomb" commonly used by British military from 1915-1970s.

The grenade was removed from the vehicle and rendered safe by the deputies. Due to the condition of the device, it was disposed of at the scene and not transported for destruction. The bomb squad buried the device in the station's lawn, and then detonated it.