The area around the Santa Maria Courthouse was evacuated Monday after a man alerted police to a potentially live grenade inside his vehicle.

Santa Maria police Sgt. Eligio Lara said the man told officers that he had purchased a storage locker from an auction in Nipomo on Sunday, and that he found the grenade while taking inventory of the contents.

After conducting research online, he determined that it could be a live grenade. He then brought it to the courthouse parking lot at 312 E. Cook St., left the grenade inside his vehicle and noticed the Police Department, according to Lara.

Officers cordoned off the area, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad removed the grenade for disposal.

Lara said the Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.

— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.