UPDATE: VA Hospital Evacuated After Replica Hand Grenade Found in ER

The emergency room at the Veterans Administration's West Los Angeles Medical Center was evacuated for three hours Monday after a replica hand grenade was found at the facility, authorities said.

Sgt. Michael Thomas of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau told Patch that around 10 a.m., its bomb squad determined the hand grenade was inert and posed no threat. The emergency room was then reopened.

A 66-year-old man, reportedly a veteran known to hospital employees, was being detained. As of early Monday afternoon, the "person of interest" was being questioned.

Thomas added that no one was hurt. It is unclear who found the replica hand grenade and where in the ER it was found.

The "potentially explosive device" was discovered in the emergency room at 6:48 a.m., said Mickiela Montoya of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

A bomb squad was sent to the hospital in the 11300 block of Wilshire Boulevard about 7 a.m., said Sgt. Rich Pena of the LASD.

As a precaution, the emergency room, primary care clinics, admission and discharge were temporarily relocated, according to Montoya. All emergency room patients were temporarily rerouted to another location within the hospital and all surgeries were placed on hold until the bomb squad cleared the scene.

VA police Chief Ed Casey said the grenade, although inert, had been modified to look as if it were active.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.