Grenade Discovery Prompts Call to the Bomb Squad

A Vietnam-era military grenade was found along a curbside Thursday afternoon, prompting police to call the bomb squad to remove it, authorities said. But the 40-millimeter grenade--about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long--contained no explosive, said Glendale Police Sgt. Mel Barnes.

A resident told police about the grenade in the 900 block of South Brand Boulevard about 3:15 p.m. but left before authorities arrived. Police cordoned off the west side of Brand Boulevard until the Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad removed it, Barnes said.

The grenade was labeled 1974, possibly the year it was made, he said. The 40-millimeter grenade detonates only when fired from a special launcher and can spray shrapnel over a circle up to 30 yards in diameter. The grenade was widely used during the Vietnam War. Such inert grenades, disarmed of their explosive charge, can be bought in military surplus stores, authorities said.