More than a dozen Strand homes were evacuated and the county bomb squad was called Sunday afternoon after an object that looked like a possible bomb washed up on the north Hermosa Beach sand. The bomb squad blew up the object, which turned out to be an armored coconut that might have been used as a homemade fishing anchor.
A passerby saw the object about 2:40 p.m. at the waterline and called 911. Hermosa Beach police and firefighters responded and determined that the item was suspicious enough to call in the Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad.
Police, firefighters and Los Angeles County lifeguards evacuated a 540-yard perimeter around the object, including Strand at about the 2900 block.
“Once the bomb squad arrived on scene, the suspicious item was detonated in place and determined not to be an explosive device,” said Hermosa Beach Police Sgt. Robert Higgins.
“The suspicious item was several pieces of metal and a coconut duct-taped together. The theory is the item was a homemade fishing anchor washed up on the beach during the recent high surf the SouthBayhas been experiencing,” he said.
