An older man was probably trying to do the right thing on Sunday afternoon when he showed up at the police department’s Northeast Division headquarters carrying a white plastic bag.
He wanted to dispose of the old hand grenade inside the bag. Unfortunately for dozens of police and civilians there, the device was still live and potentially explosive.
Police hurriedly evacuated the building at 2831 Levick St., which houses the 2nd and 15th patrol districts, Northeast Detectives and the Northeast inspector’s office. Then the bomb squad showed up and safely removed the grenade.
And the older man disappeared.
The entire episode took about 20 minutes. By 5 p.m., things were back to normal, police said. No injuries were reported.
According to Officer Tanya Little, a department spokeswoman, the man said he had bought a radio at a flea market, took it home and found the grenade rattling around inside. In the commotion, police didn’t get his name or the location of the flea market. ••
