The visitors’ parking lot at the Las Cruces Police Department was closed today for about half an hour after well-meaning residents brought in what was determined to be a live hand grenade.
The grenade was successfully removed by a deputy from the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad.
The residents, a man and woman, were reportedly going through the property of a deceased relative when they found the grenade. Not necessarily considering all the potential hazards of transporting a grenade, they placed the device in a pickup and drove it to the Las Cruces Police Department.
The couple parked in the visitors’ parking lot and left the grenade in the pickup. They walked into the department at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to report finding the device. That prompted the closure of LCPD’s parking lot and a call to the DASO bomb squad.
The deputy arrived at around 11 a.m. and determined that the device was a live hand grenade from the World War II era. The grenade was properly secured and removed by the deputy.
Police encourage anyone who finds a grenade – or any other potentially explosive device – to refrain from touching or moving it, and immediately call 911.