‘Novelty’ grenade found during hourslong bomb squad investigation in El Monte; 2 people arrested

EL MONTE, Calif. () — Two arrests have been made related to a bomb squad investigation that shut down part of El Monte for hours on Monday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of a suspicious package inside an allegedly stolen car in a parking lot on Valley Boulevard around 2:30 p.m.

The bomb squad used a robot to help with the investigation, and the package was removed from the vehicle.

The sheriff’s department said both the driver and the passenger of the car were arrested. Further details about why they were arrested were not immediately available.

Detectives later said the suspicious package had a “novelty” grenade inside. The investigation wrapped up around 8 p.m.

The road closures in the area have since been lifted.