VA West LA Medical Center emergency room reopens following false hand grenade scare

The Veterans Administration’s West Los Angeles Medical Center is now operating again, after a replica hand grenade was discovered in the hospital’s emergency room earlier this morning, according to police.

At about 7 a.m. the hospital’s emergency room was evacuated after the fake grenade was discovered at the hospital, which is about 1 1/2 miles away from the UCLA campus, said Sgt. Rich Pena, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Sheriff’s Department bomb squad was called in to deal with the case, he said.

[Updated at 10:40: Police have determined that the replica grenade is not a threat, and are letting people back into the emergency room, according to the Sheriff’s Department. No arrest has been made with regards to the incident, according to police.]

Compiled by Erin Donnelly, Daily Bruin senior staff