Some World War II memorabilia caused quite a stir in the Beverly Plaza Friday. The problem was that the memorabilia was a live hand grenade.
Charles Sipp, 85, of Beverly Hills found the grenade in his attic. He had forgotten he even had it. He had brought the American grenade back from the European Theater where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later on to Germany.
"I was a jerky kid," he said, shaking his head Friday standing behind Sal's Restaurant while the Citrus County Sheriff's Office bomb squad removed the grenade from his car trunk in the parking lot near the Beverly Hills Sheriff's substation.
Sipp said he brought the grenade to the substation for disposal, but when Sgt. Chris Evan realized what Sipp had a 60-year-old live grenade sitting over a car's gas tank he told the Sipps to move away from their Crown Victoria. Sheriff's deputies cleared people away and closed off the parking lot and shut the plaza down, making sure no one was within hundreds of feet of the explosive.
Evans said there were some frustrated business owners and people who wanted to get into the plaza, but generally everyone realized the need for safety. A group of people who had evacuated to the back parking lot of Sal's were being good- natured about it and having a sort of impromptu party as they sat and stood around waiting for the all-clear. Sal's waitresses served tea and joked with the crowd.
By the time the bomb squad had done it's job about an hour and a half had passed, and there was some grumbling about the next time the person should call the sheriff's department first.
Sipp said when he found the grenade he had brought it down and put it on a piece of furniture in the living room. It was around for two or three months, he said, until he realized it was probably not a good idea to keep it around and handle it like he was doing. That's when he put it in a box and put the box in the trunk to take to the substation.
"And look what he caused now," said his wife Elsie of 61 years, rolling her eyes a little. "I should have buried the damn thing," he said. Sipp, who served with the Eighth Armored Division, said the only time he used a grenade in the war was in basic training.
Sipp, a native of Brooklyn, said he had brought back other war memorabilia too though not any more explosives. He said he received a Bronze Star for the intense fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, which resulted in thousands of American casualties. The Sipps have lived in Beverly Hills for 23 years.
Charles Sipp, 85, of Beverly Hills found the grenade in his attic. He had forgotten he even had it. He had brought the American grenade back from the European Theater where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later on to Germany.
"I was a jerky kid," he said, shaking his head Friday standing behind Sal's Restaurant while the Citrus County Sheriff's Office bomb squad removed the grenade from his car trunk in the parking lot near the Beverly Hills Sheriff's substation.
Sipp said he brought the grenade to the substation for disposal, but when Sgt. Chris Evan realized what Sipp had a 60-year-old live grenade sitting over a car's gas tank he told the Sipps to move away from their Crown Victoria. Sheriff's deputies cleared people away and closed off the parking lot and shut the plaza down, making sure no one was within hundreds of feet of the explosive.
Evans said there were some frustrated business owners and people who wanted to get into the plaza, but generally everyone realized the need for safety. A group of people who had evacuated to the back parking lot of Sal's were being good- natured about it and having a sort of impromptu party as they sat and stood around waiting for the all-clear. Sal's waitresses served tea and joked with the crowd.
By the time the bomb squad had done it's job about an hour and a half had passed, and there was some grumbling about the next time the person should call the sheriff's department first.
Sipp said when he found the grenade he had brought it down and put it on a piece of furniture in the living room. It was around for two or three months, he said, until he realized it was probably not a good idea to keep it around and handle it like he was doing. That's when he put it in a box and put the box in the trunk to take to the substation.
"And look what he caused now," said his wife Elsie of 61 years, rolling her eyes a little. "I should have buried the damn thing," he said. Sipp, who served with the Eighth Armored Division, said the only time he used a grenade in the war was in basic training.
Sipp, a native of Brooklyn, said he had brought back other war memorabilia too though not any more explosives. He said he received a Bronze Star for the intense fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, which resulted in thousands of American casualties. The Sipps have lived in Beverly Hills for 23 years.
