SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota Police said officers responded to Sarasota Military Academy on Tuesday morning after a student brought a backpack to school that was considered suspicious.
School staff moved the backpack outside before officers arrived around 11 a.m. as a safety precaution. Students and faculty in the nearest building were relocated to another area of campus.
Police said all students and staff remained safe and unharmed throughout the incident.
Officers closed Orange Avenue between 8th and 10th streets while a neighboring agency’s bomb squad examined the backpack.
Investigators discovered real grenades inside, but determined they were inactive and had been drilled out from the bottom.
The grenades were removed, and students and faculty returned to class shortly afterward.
This is a developing story. Tampa Bay 28 will provide more details as they become available.
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