Local home owners and businesses had to be evacuated after the grenade was spotted
1 hour ago
- Local authorities have hit 28-year-old Carlos Kuceja with multiple serious charges.
- An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team had to be sent to secure the live grenade.
- Police searched the stolen car and the man’s house but didn’t find any other explosives.
Fleeing from police is an almost surefire way to get some big time behind bars, but for one 28-year-old in Berkeley, California, the charges he’s facing are much more serious after throwing out a live grenade from a stolen car in the middle of a pursuit. If Carlos Kuceja doesn’t have a good lawyer, he’d better get one fast.
On the afternoon of May 2, officers from the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division Crime Suppression team spotted a stolen vehicle in Oakland and attempted a traffic stop. Rather than pulling over, the driver took off, leading police on a pursuit that crossed into nearby Berkeley.
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Moments later, the 28-year-old driver threw a bag out of the window. A nearby officer looked at the bag and found that there was a grenade inside. Not only that, but the safety pin was partially removed.
The pursuit continued but came to an abrupt end when the suspect turned into a dead-end and tried to run away on foot. Police arrested him and searched the stolen car. Fortunately for him, they did not find any other explosives.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the University of California, Berkeley, was called in and secured the grenade that the driver had disposed of. As the authorities were working to secure the grenade, nearby traffic was diverted, and local residents and businesses were evacuated.
Investigators also discovered that Kujeca had been illegally living in a multi-unit home in Berkeley. Local police, the FBI’s Crisis Response Squad, and the UC Berkeley EOD team searched the property but didn’t find any further explosives.
Kujeca was booked into Santa Rita Jail on felony charges for possession and transportation of a destructive device, possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing from police, and resisting arrest.
