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

Lakeland police station briefly shut down after 'well-meaning citizen' brings in live grenade

The Lakeland police station was briefly shut down Sunday after authorities said a "well-meaning citizen" brought in a box containing a live hand grenade.

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

The Lakeland Police Department was closed Sunday after someone brought a suspected grenade to the station inside a box, police said.

Lakeland Police Station Shut Down Over Suspected Grenade

A man cleaning out a deceased family member's belongings found what he believed was an old hand grenade and, instead of calling 911, carried it straight into the lobby of Lakeland Police Department headquarters. The unexpected delivery on Sunday forced officers to shut down the downtown station, evacuate the area, and call in a bomb squad from Tampa to deal with the device. Lakeland police described the visitor as a “well-meaning citizen” who ha…