A U.S. Marine was detained at the Palm Springs International Airport on Monday after he allegedly tried to bring a live explosive round through airport screening, according to Riverside County officials.
In a news release shared on social media, Palm Springs Police Department officers said they were called to the airport, which is located at 3400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, at around 12:05 p.m. upon learning that Transportation Security Administration personnel had discovered “what was later confirmed to be a live 25mm explosive round” when screening a checked piece of luggage.
“During the investigation, the suspect told officers he had found the ordnance in the field approximately a year earlier and kept it, believing it was not live,” the PSPD release said. “Due to extensive rust and corrosion, the round’s original identifying paint markings were no longer visible, making it difficult to determine whether it was an inert training munition or a live explosive device.”
Riverside County Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team personnel, who were contacted to assist with the investigation, examined the round and used X-ray technology to confirm that it was a live round and not a training round.
They removed it from the airport and took it to a desert area near Gene Autry Trail, south of the I-10 Freeway, where it was destroyed, police said.
Officers said that the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Ryan Weaver of Henderson, Texas, was detained during the investigation but released to military authorities afterwards. Police said that the case will be submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review of a “potential violation of California Penal Code section 18710, related to possession of a destructive device.”
They also noted that he may face administrative action by the U.S. Marine Corps and a potential civil penalty through the TSA.