An embassy and several homes were evacuated and 16th Street was closed down for three hours Wednesday morning after a maintenance worker found a grenade in Rock Creek Park.
Authorities determined that the grenade was inert and not able to explode.
The grenade was found shortly before 8 a.m. in a sports field north of Morrow Drive near the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium.
The police requested the Military Explosive Ordinance Unit to assist in the recovery of the grenade, which was rendered safe and removed to Park Police custody, said U.S. Park Police spokesman Robert Lachance. The area was then searched for additional grenades or other devices and the scene was cleared, he said.
Police have not yet determined where the grenade came from and how long it had been there. Its placement was near the Egyptian Embassy, but the embassy was closed because of Ramadan, police said.
