Posted on 12/30/2009 10:16:06 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
SAN ANTONIO – A man’s stated wish to protect others from three unexploded grenades caused tense moments at SAPD’s Northwest Police Substation.
Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a man came into the Prue Road substation saying he had a box of grenades in his vehicle he wished to get rid of. He said he had them for about ten years after getting them from his grandparents. Now he was concerned children could get access to them.
Not taking any chances, officers called ordinance disposal experts and cordoned off the area.
SAPD Sgt. Michael Oliva says the “bomb squad came out, decided, yeah, one was a live grenade, secured it, taped it off.”
Not taking any chances, officers called ordinance disposal experts and cordoned off the area.
The two other grenades in the box were found to be duds used for training, which had been rendered inert by drilling holes in them.
The police have a recommendation for anyone else seeking to get rid of explosives lying around the house.
“Call the bomb squad or officers to your house,” advises Sgt. Oliva. “Don’t bring them to the station -- because it’s dangerous to transport grenades around like that.”
After some questions by police, the man who brought the grenades was free to leave. No charges are anticipated.
Slideshow
SlideshowThe bomb squad was called to a San Antonio police substation Wednesday morning, and officials say the Good Samaritan who carried them thought he was doing the right thing by handing over some explosives to the police department.
But police say that was exactly the wrong thing to do.
Police say the man came to the Prue police substation with two training grenades and one active grenade. The man allegedly found the three grenades at home and did not want his kids to mess with them. The man told police the grenades belonged to his grandfather and that they were in his home for about ten years before he found them.
He did not know what to do with them, he told officers, so he brought them to police and told them they were in his truck. But police say the man should have left the grenades where he found them and called for help instead.
Officials say the man is not in trouble, but there is an important lesson to be learned.
“No charges will be filed,” said Sgt. Michael Oliva, San Antonio Police Department. “But if anyone finds grenades, they should leave them where they are at and call the bomb squad or call officers to come to your house, because it’s dangerous transporting grenades like that.”
The bomb squad was called to the northwest-side station as a precaution and detonated the live grenade in another location.
http://www.kens5.com/news/Bomb-squad-called-to-police-substation-for-a-live-grenade-80342632.html
No thanks.
grenade ping
He coulda just went fishin and been done with it!
Perhaps this guy should have stuffed this grenade down his shorts and boarded a plane for Detroit.
Right you are. The police have already inferred that they could file charges for bring the gernades to the police attendtion with their statement ‘no charges will be filed’.
I guess it depends on where you live. A buddy of mine was a sergeant in the bomb squad. They got called by people to come out to their houses for crap all of the time. It was usually old dynamite. They didn’t bring warrants and they didn’t search anything. They picked up the item in question, thanked the resident and departed the area.
The fun started later when they’d blow all that crap up.
With the PD right smack next to the hospital, it’s a good thing the cardiac patients weren’t startled with a big boom.
If you think about it, they could just as easily do the same thing after he showed up at the police station.
I think it’s wise for everyone involved if the person who has an explosive item like this, not not move it themselves.
Let the people who are equipped to do it, handle the situation.
Look, I think you raise a valid point. I just don’t see a win/win here either way.
I wonder if they still work. Is there an ACORN office around there?
I'm sure that's true.
We had a thread some months ago where an urban police dept was having a gun "buy back". Bring in any gun, you get something like $200, no questions asked. The police just wanted to get some guns off the streets, and they weren't going to hassle anyone.
Some guy brought in a grenade -- the cops pulled in into a side room and questioned him for hours.
Hey, they said "no questions asked" if you brought in a gun.
The only way I’d ever give up a gun is if it didn’t work and it would cost more to fix than it was worth. I’d never, ever turn in an explosive. Might be needing it sometime.
No worries.
The EPA procured the grenades.
Lordy if I had a nickle every time this happened. I could by a 12 pack of beer....:o)
We had a sand bagged drop box in our parking lot for just this sort of “amnesty” turn in.
Before we kept our doors locked and a camera to see who had what to turn in etc I had a gomer who found a 66mm law rocket that albeit fired was live. This guy waltzes into the front office where I was sitting an pounds it on the desk in front of me asking me if this is where he’s supposed to leave it !!!
Still pullin seat cushion out of my ass over that one !!
People HAVE some really great uxo at home. Cannon balls to current issue boomage. Some as keepsakes. Others as tools for fools.
BTW damn it there ain’t no “I” in ordnance that goes BOOM !
Drop an give me 20 slick.......:o)
Merry New Year !!!
“With the PD right smack next to the hospital...”
The Prue substation is well over a mile from the nearest medical facility.
The guy should have sold them to some redneck fisherman.......
I always get a chuckle out of those $200 days. I usually see guys with 100 year old 22’s that have been in the family for generations. probably dont even work, let alone be in a place to hurt anyone. But, $200 a pop for a gun not worth $25. OR I see nice WWII capture weapons. I will place a pretty hefty bet that some of those dont make it to the compactor.
No ya got me longing for the good ole days. Shootin empty beer cans with a thompson sub machine gun and making holes in the ice with a 60mm mortar mounted in the back of the ole pickem up truck.
...and a stick of dynamite or M-80's in a trout pond.......LOL!
Long story short, after I left for the Army I continued to receive my local newspaper courtesy of the town editer. One issue reported that the owner of a local ski resort, actually, almost all of them in Northern Michigan (Everett Kircher) who also happened to have a large house on a river that was damned by the local power company thus creating a very small lake in his back yard that was filled with trout. Some individual or individuals came in one night and dropped some bombs into the pond thus killing the trout.........LOL!
“If you call the police to your house, I bet they would show up with a warrant and turn the place upside down.”
Exactly. Who in their right mind would call the cops to their house to let them “search” for something.
Fifteen minutes later, he comes into my office with a burlap bag; pulls out a 105mm shell and places it on my desk!
The Germans were always digging up UXO left over from WWII; many kids getting killed.
Yep understand. All over Europe an rest of the world is battle site or former training areas etc and aside from surface an subsurface clearance and finds at construction sites we had lots of work.
That was just peace time duty. Stuff is everywhere an even a simple rain storm will uncover it.......
Stay Safe !!
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