Shopper accused of stealing reveals a grenade when confronted, California cops say

Store security at a California supermarket got a scare when a man confronted over shoplifting allegations revealed a grenade in his hand, police say.

“He has a hand grenade!” police in Vacaville, between Sacramento and San Francisco, wrote on Facebook.

Employees tried to wrestle the grenade away from Octavio Rodriguez, 23, of Fairfield until police arrived and arrested him, officers reported Friday.

Police moved the grenade to a concrete garbage enclosure and covered it with an ammunition box until a bomb squad arrived. They also sealed off part of the supermarket parking lot.

The Travis Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal team later determined the grenade was inert, police reported.

Rodriguez faces charges including assault and criminal threats, police wrote.

“What in the world is going on?” asked one comment on the police Facebook post.

This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Shopper accused of stealing reveals a grenade when confronted, California cops say."