A scuba driver made a surprising find while exploring a lake in Oklahoma, stumbling upon a tear gas grenade that was still live, officials said.
The scuba diver called authorities Thursday saying he had "found some type of bomb or smoke grenade" while exploring the depths of the Marietta Landing area of Lake Murray, the Love County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
Authorities soon confirmed that the device found was a live CS gas grenade, the sheriff's office said.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol's bomb squad was called and also confirmed the device was a live CS grenade. It was able to date the device to somewhere around the early 2000s, the sheriff's office said.
The bomb squad safely collected the grenade and was expected to detonate and destroy it later off-site.
In a photo shared by the sheriff's office the grenade is labeled "M7A3 Riot CS." The Army has described the kind of device found as a riot control hand grenade.
"The M7A3 is a CS-filled burning-type grenade. The choking agent is designed to control counterinsurgencies and for other tactical missions. It is a riot-control grenade that may also be used to simulate casualties during training," says a military document about grenades and pyrotechnic signals dated August 2021.
It was not clear how the grenade ended up in the lake.
Authorities applauded the scuba diver for contacting deputies.
"This is a great example of a citizen locating something they knew to be dangerous and contacting [authorities] so that it could be disposed of properly," the sheriff's office said.
It encouraged people who make similar finds to contact authorities so such devices can be disposed of "in a safe and secure manner."
