Police believe grenade-like firework was placed in road on purpose

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — A section of South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores was closed for two hours after authorities received reports of a grenade being found in the middle of the road Wednesday morning.

The explosive was found about 8 a.m. in the 2100 block of A-1-A near the Coronado Beach Resort. Authorities quickly stepped in and closed the roadway a half mile in both directions.

"It looked like a civilian pulled a cop over and the next thing you know everybody just starts running and he's pointing to the middle of the road, and that's how we found out what it was," said witness Brian Ferguson.

The bomb squad was called in and a robot with a camera inspected the object, which turned out to be an expended firework that looked exactly like a grenade.

 "It didn't look fake to me," said Ferguson. "The dark color alone and the way it looked to me, looks real."

Police said they believe someone put the pineapple grenade-style firework in the middle of the road on purpose.

 "When it was first found, it was sitting upright, so we believe it was placed there," said Sgt. Mike Fowler of Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety.

Police said they're checking surveillance cameras in the area in hopes of locating a suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.

WFTV