Grenade Threat at Macy's Causes Scare

The Macy's at Bowie Town Center and several surrounding parking lots were closed off Tuesday night after police found a non-explosive grenade on a person who stopped by security under the suspicion of shoplifting, according to a police report.

According to the police report, a Bowie police officer encountered Macy's security guards struggling with a suspected shoplifter in the Macy's parking lot at around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday. Officer assisted the security guards and placed the suspect, Derrick Rondell Battle, 36, of no fixed address, into custody. 

Police searched the suspect and said they found a total of $3,523.46 worth of Macy's merchandise was found in the suspect's possession and recovered. Officers also found the inert grenade wrapped in a plastic bag inside Battle's backpack. 

Officers took the suspected grenade outside of the store into a parking lot, and the Prince George's County Fire Department bomb squad and K-9 units responded to the scene, according to the report. 

Bowie police secured the scene—which was taped off for several hours—while the bomb squad investigated the suspected grenade. Cars were not permitted to enter the mall via the Northview Drive entrance, or drive near the parking lot where the bomb squad was conducting its investigation. The rest of the Bowie Town remained open for business during the incident.

At around 10:30 p.m., the device was determined to be non-explosive, and the scene was cleared. Battle was taken to the Bowie Police station and later transported to the county department of corrections where he was charged accordingly, police said.

No injuries were reported as a result of the incidents.