By Steven Symes 
Some crazy things happen in California, but a man fleeing in a stolen vehicle from police, throwing a live grenade out the window is next level. A guy from Berkeley has been arrested after allegedly doing just that in a story that’s so shocking, it almost sounds like a movie plot.
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According to California Highway Patrol, on the afternoon of May 2 officers spotted a car that was reported as stolen, but they say 28-year-old Carlos Kuceja decided to take off, leading them on a chase.
For whatever reason, Kuceja fled at low speeds, going from Oakland into Berkeley. Shortly after that is when he threw a plastic bag from the stolen vehicle’s window, which is often how suspects will try to dispose of evidence before surrendering to police.
But when a CHP officer secured the bag, he saw that inside was a grenade with the pin partially removed. That’s likely why it didn’t explode. Why the pin was partially removed and not fully installed or fully removed isn’t clear, but we bet the officer is glad it didn’t detonate.
With the help of Berkeley Police Department, the area around the grenade was secured and traffic was detoured away. Police even evacuated nearby businesses and homes. We had no idea a grenade blast could be so powerful.
After the University of California Berkeley Explosive Ordinance Disposal team secured the grenade, people could finally return to work and their homes.
In the meantime, Kuceja fled all the way until he turned onto a dead end. Dumping the stolen car, he tried running away on foot but officers chased him down, arresting the man. Then police evacuated the neighborhood around the vehicle and a bomb squad came to inspect it, thankfully finding no other explosive devices inside it.
But the fun wasn’t over: police then went to his apartment, evacuated the whole building, then executed a search warrant to look for other explosives, which they thankfully didn’t find there.
The grenade the guy threw was real and live, but it’s not clear where he got it.
Image via CHP – Golden Gate Division/Facebook