LAPD bomb squad discovers possible military ordnance Exposition Park; device deemed inert

EXPOSITION PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police on Friday afternoon investigated the discovery of possible military ordnance in a storage area in Exposition Park, authorities said. The device was later deemed to be inert.

The LAPD bomb squad responded shortly before 1 p.m. to a report of a suspicious device in the 3600 block of South McClintock Avenue, near the USC campus.

No explosion or injuries were reported, and a police spokesperson said there was no threat to the public.

A description of the possible ordnance was not immediately available.

Just before 3 p.m., authorities said the device was inert and an "all clear" announcement was made.

"Access to the Downey Way parking structure at UPC has been fully restored. LAPD determined suspected hazardous materials were inert," USC's Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

In an interview with ABC7, one student said the university sent out alerts via mobile phone and email during the incident.

"I was kind of thinking it might be some chemical thing, because as you know we are a research facility," the student said, adding that the scene was near several laboratories. He speculated that the incident might have been caused by students possibly mishandling research materials.

Friday's discovery came a week after Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced that a grenade was missing from the scene of an explosion at an LASD training facility that killed three members of its arson and explosives unit.

At the time of the July 18 blast, the veteran deputies were working on two "military-style" grenades that had been taken into custody by authorities. One of the grenades detonated, and the other is unaccounted for, Luna said, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The agency is investigating the explosion and is expected to publish a final report in several weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.