Live Grenade with Pin Partially Out Tossed from Stolen Car During CHP Chase
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Video: Wash. Police Stop Suspect from Lighting Explosive as He Flees
- After stopping a fleeing suspect in a stolen car, Washington State Patrol troopers tackled the man as he tried to light the fuse to a tennis ball filled with 50 grams of an explosive powder.
California Highway Patrol officers had a close call last week when a suspect in a stolen vehicle tossed a bag containing a live grenade out the window.
The incident happened at 3:30 p.m. Friday as officers in Oakland were trying to pull over a vehicle that had been reported stolen, the agency stated in a social media post. The suspect behind the wheel—later identified as Carlos Kuceja, 28—fled, kicking off a pursuit.
During the chase, officers saw Kuceja toss a bag from the driver's window. A nearby CHP officer not involved in the pursuit stopped to secure the bag and found what appeared to be a grenade with the pin partially removed inside.
Berkeley police were called in to help evacuate nearby homes and businesses, and an explosive ordinance disposal unit from the University of Califorinia, Berkeley, responded to handle the explosive. The unit disposed of the grenade, and it was "determined to be live and capable of detonating."
While the grenade was being dealt with, officers were still pursuing Kuceja. He eventually turned down a dead-end street and parked the vehicle.
Officers finally apprehended Kuceja as he tried to flee on foot. The vehicle was then secured, and the area evacuated while another bomb disposal team checked to see if there were any other explosives.
A search warrant was obtained for Kuceja's residence to check for other explosives at his residence. CHP officers were joined by FBI agents and a bomb removal team, but they found nothing in the house.
Kuceja was booked on felony charges for possession and transportation of a destructive device, possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing from police and resisting arrest.
