Bomb Squad Called To West Liberty K-5 For Suspicious Device

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Bomb Squad was called to West Liberty K-5 in the city's Brookline neighborhood for a suspicious item Thursday morning.

According to police, the school was evacuated after a third grade student brought a suspected hand grenade to school. The students were ushered to nearby South Brook Middle School.

The Bomb Squad arrived around 9:40 a.m. and determined the device to be inert. Then, the school resumed normal operations around 10:35 a.m.

Despite the peaceful end to the situation, some parents were upset over receiving mixed information.

"I asked if I could get my child. He said, 'Not right now.' And I said, 'What exactly is going on?' He said, 'There was a bomb scare.' I said, 'A bomb scare or a live grenade?' Because the phone call that her dad had got was a live grenade – a child brought a live grenade. He said, 'Neither, we have it taken care of. We evacuated West Liberty. They're in South Brook. They're checking out West Liberty,'" Carly Sarasnica, a parent, said.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened at the school. In September of 2014, the school campus was plagued with a series of bomb threats.

As for today's device, it was determined to be a family relic.

"We're not sure the child's reason for bringing it to school," said Deonne Arrington, the school's principal. "It was shared with us that it was an old relic from a previous war and sometimes those things fascinate children."

Pittsburgh South Brook and Pittsburgh Pioneer schools were both placed on lock down during the ordeal. Those lock downs have since been lifted.

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