A fake grenade recovered in North Vancouver by the RCMP’s explosives disposal unit. photo supplied
Police had to evacuate a North Vancouver veterans’ hall after staff discovered a hand grenade on the premises Thursday evening.
An employee at Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit 45 on East Third Street called 911 around 8 p.m., when the potential explosive device was found.
“The bartender at (ANAVETS) reported she had located a hand grenade behind the bar and she stated it was not there the evening prior,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. “We attended, evacuated the building, and secured the perimeter.”
When the RCMP’s explosives disposal unit arrived to inspect the object, they found it was a dud – likely a replica that had never been loaded with explosives. The EDU took the hand-projectile away and destroyed it.
“Out of the abundance of caution and public safety, EDU will attend to these calls to determine the authenticity of the device," De Jong said.
Police don’t know if it was intended as a threat, as a joke or simply put there for storage or decoration.
“It’s not uncommon to see those around,” De Jong said. “How it got there and why it showed up there is under investigation.”
The building does have security cameras, which police will be checking, and investigators are speaking with staff and patrons.
“It’s an ongoing investigation at this point,” De Jong said.
Dummy grenades are not illegal, but using one to make a threat would be, De Jong said.
