Redondo Beach police detained two active duty Marines last Thursday night after the U.S Marine Corps contacted the RBPD and alerted them to the possibility that the two men could have active explosives in their possession and may be in the Redondo Beach area.
Devin Gejewski, 24, and Thomas Bazer, 20, were arrested by a white Dodge truck around 9 p.m. in the Living Spaces Furniture store parking lot at 1519 Hawthorne Blvd. without incident and taken into custody. Officers cordoned off the parking lot and adjacent shops and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene to conduct an investigation and render the area safe.
“The LASD Bomb Squad searched the pickup and recovered ten military artillery simulator training aids,” a press release from RBPD Capt. Jeff Hink said.
According to police, the devices are similar to what law enforcement calls “flash bang” devices and they are commonly used by the military during training scenarios to get soldiers accustomed to the sound of explosions.
Naval Criminal Investigative Services investigators (NCIS) responded to the situation and took custody of both men.
“NCIS will investigate why the two active duty military personnel were in Redondo Beach and in possession of the artillery simulator training aids,” the release said.
