Two active-duty Marines were taken into military custody after authorities discovered nearly a dozen stun grenades in the pickup they were driving, according to the .
Devin Gajewski, 24, and Thomas Bazer, 20, both stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, admitted to having explosive devices in the pickup, Redondo Police Capt. Jeff Hink said in a news release.
Redondo police discovered and detained the men after receiving a tip shortly after 8 p.m. from the U.S. Marine Corps that two Marines were driving a white Dodge pickup carrying military explosives in Redondo Beach, Hink said. A blast perimeter was set up around the truck, which was found parked in the lot in front of the in the South Bay Marketplace. The two Marines, clad in their civilian clothes, were standing next to the truck when police arrived.
Police also ordered the evacuation of Living Spaces, a nearby , and , and notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad.
The bomb squad used a robot to investigate the truck, which contained 10 stun grenades, police said. The stun grenades—which are similar to “flash-bang” devices used by law enforcement—are used by the military during training scenarios to simulate artillery fire and explosions, Hink said.
Agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service took custody of Gajewski and Bazer, and will investigate why they were driving a truck with stun grenades in Redondo Beach.
Redondo Beach Police impounded the truck and planned to hand it over to NCIS. The LASD took possession of the stun grenades.
"The whole investigation will be turned over to military authorities, and they'll handle it from here," Redondo Police Sgt. Scott Weibel said.
Early reports from Fox 11 said personnel from Camp Pendleton were headed to the site to determine if ordnance from the Marine base was inside the truck.
