2nd Suspect Arrested in Tossing of Grenade

A second man has been arrested in an incident last month in which a military tear-gas grenade was tossed into a busy intersection in Pomona, fire officials said Tuesday.

Leonard Gutierrez, 20, allegedly kept the live grenade in his home, where the tear-gas canister burst about 5 p.m. on Feb. 9. His mother and sister were among 38 people who were overcome by fumes, Fire Capt. Russ Bohse said.

The two women and a dozen others were treated at the scene by a fleet of ambulances for eye irritation and respiratory discomfort, and 24 others required hospitalization. Gutierrez was taken into custody over the weekend by fire investigators, who had obtained an arrest warrant when he fled after the incident. Another man, Larry McGee, 20, was arrested Feb. 9. Bohse said investigators believe McGee was visiting Gutierrez and allegedly pulled the grenade’s pin and tossed it from the house “on a challenge, or a joke. They didn’t realize it would become such a problem.”