All Clear In El Cerrito Following Scare

EL CERRITO, CA — The El Cerrito Police Department has given the all-clear in the area of Central Avenue, near Everett & Norvell streets. They had asked people to stay away from the area.

Officers were dispatched to do a welfare check on an elderly resident who had not been heard from in two weeks. According to police, an Officer looked through windows and saw the man on the ground. They entered the home and confirmed that the resident had passed away, apparently of natural causes.

However, officers inside the home saw what appeared to be three military grenades. ECPD cordoned off the area, including evacuating a handful of homes, and called for a Bomb Squad.

The El Cerrito Fire Department and an AMR ambulance also staged in the area just in case.

An EOD team from Travis Air Force Base was dispatched and arrived approximately 45 minutes later. EOD technicians determined the grenades were replicas and did not contain explosive materials. They were collected for destruction.

The street was immediately reopened. The deceased man's relatives arrived to handle arrangements.

-Image via ECPD