Officers preparing to impound a car discovered a live grenade in the trunk prompting the evacuation of a gas station, a restaurant and a busy street corner in El Cajon Sunday.
The car was stopped by an El Cajon police officer around 9 p.m. Sunday because of a registration violation according to Lt. Tim Henton.
When officers were doing an inventory search before impounding the car, they found a live grenade in the trunk.
“It was a secured grenade but not the way it should have been,” Henton said.
The driver was arrested on charges of possessing an explosive device and may face federal charges. The woman he was with was detained and questioned but will likely not face charges according to Henton.
Officers shut down the intersection, evacuated the gas station and a restaurant next door.
The ATF and the San Diego County sheriff’s department bomb squad were called out ot help remove the grenade safely.
