A bomb squad has taken charge of what police say they believe was a live grenade that an elderly man brought in to a police district building in northeast Philadelphia Sunday.
Investigators say shortly before 5 p.m. the man walked into the 2nd District headquarters on the 2800 block of Levick Street and placed a grenade on the counter. The grenade was wrapped in plastic. The man told police he bought a radio from a flea market and inside was the grenade.
About two dozen employees, including two prisoners, were evacuated from the building.
Officer Christine O'Brien, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Police Department, said no one was injured and a bomb squad was called in and took charge of it.
O’Brien noted that sometimes people find these kinds of explosives when they clear out a basement or some other long-forgotten storage space. She said it is better to call police rather than bring the device in for police to inspect.
The building houses two police districts.
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