Discovery of Mortar Shell on Freeway Strands Motorists

A mortar shell that was found on the Century Freeway in Hawthorne and tied up traffic for hours was detonated Tuesday afternoon by members of the sheriff’s bomb squad, authorities said.

The shell was found by a Caltrans worker on the shoulder of the freeway’s westbound lanes, near Wilton Place. The California Highway Patrol closed all westbound lanes and half an hour later closed the eastbound lanes, said Susan Taylor, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman. Several hundred motorists were stuck on the closed freeway for more than two hours.