CHP: Berkeley streets put on lockdown after suspect throws live grenade

(KRON) — A 28-year-old man from Berkeley was arrested Friday after he allegedly threw a live grenade from a moving car while attempting to flee from California Highway Patrol officers.

CHP officers attempted to stop the suspect, Carlos Kuceja, near 38th Street and Cerrito Avenue in Oakland around 3:30 p.m. Friday, after he was allegedly seen driving a stolen car.

“When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Kuceja fled, and a pursuit ensued,” CHP said. “The pursuit proceeded at slow speeds through Oakland and entered the city of Berkeley.”

During the chase, Kuceja was seen throwing a bag from the driver’s side window near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Rose Street in Berkeley, CHP said. A nearby officer stopped to check the bag and found the grenade.

“Upon looking inside, the officer observed what appeared to be a grenade with the safety pin partially removed,” CHP said. “Officers immediately notified the Berkeley Police Department of their discovery and requested assistance in securing the area.”

Officers diverted traffic from the area and homes were evacuated as authorities worked to secure the grenade. The University of California Berkeley Explosive Ordnance Disposal team responded to the area and secured the grenade and cleared the area by 5 p.m.

Kuceja ultimately turned onto a dead-end street and tried to escape officers on foot. Officers caught up with Kuceja and brought him into custody. 

“After taking Kuceja into custody, officers secured the vehicle and began evacuating residents from the area,” Kuceja said. “The UCPD Bomb Team responded to the pursuit’s termination point and determined there were no additional explosives in the vehicle. Residents were allowed to return to their homes just after 5 p.m.”

Investigators searched a multi-unit home on California Street where Kuceja was living illegally, CHP said. No other explosives were found. Other homes in the building were evacuated and California Street was closed in front of the residence until the search was completed. Residents were allowed to return to their homes around 10:30 p.m.

Kuceja was booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin for felony charges of possession and transportation of a destructive device, possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing police and resisting arrest, the California Highway Patrol said.