Old hand grenade brought to Lakeland Police station prompts bomb squad response, officials say

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The Lakeland Police Department was temporarily closed Sunday after a citizen brought in an old hand grenade to the station, authorities confirmed. 

On Sunday afternoon, a "well-meaning citizen" brought a box to the police department with what was believed to be an old hand grenade inside, the department said.  

According to police, the citizen was cleaning out a family member's personal items and found the presumed grenade. As a precaution, officers secured the police station while members of the Tampa Bomb Squad were called in to establish a safety perimeter, inspect the device and safely dispose of it.

What we don't know:

Police have not yet released an official timeline for when the station will fully reopen to the public, nor have they confirmed whether the grenade was live or inert.

This article will be updated when more information is made available. 

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Lakeland Police Department. 

Crime and Public Safety