A routine baggage scan at Palm Springs International Airport turned into a full-scale explosives response on Monday after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners spotted what looked like a large-caliber military round buried inside a traveler\u2019s suitcase. The item, later confirmed as a live 25 mm high-explosive projectile, prompted a partial evacuation of the baggage area and brought together local police, a military explosive-ordnance team and federal investigators.<\/p>\n
According to the Palm Springs Police Department, the alarm sounded shortly after 8 a.m. when the bag rolled through the airport\u2019s in-line CTX scanner. TSA agents noticed the unmistakable silhouette of an artillery round and immediately stopped the belt. Because 25 mm ammunition is used in vehicle-mounted chain guns and is not sold commercially, screeners flagged the bag for secondary inspection. A supervisor then opened the suitcase, found the corroded shell wrapped in a T-shirt and called police.<\/p>\n
Airport operations director Daniel McDonald said no flights were delayed, but passengers in the adjacent baggage claim were moved to the upper-level atrium for roughly 90 minutes while bomb technicians determined whether the round was stable enough to move.<\/p>\n
The traveler, 30-year-old Ryan Weaver of San Antonio, Texas, is an active-duty U.S. Marine staff sergeant assigned to a logistics unit. In a probable-cause statement released Tuesday, detectives said Weaver admitted he had found the munition \u201cin a training area\u201d while deployed and kept it as a souvenir. He told police he assumed it was an inert training item because \u201cthe tip was dented and the paint was gone.\u201d Weaver packed the round in his checked luggage for a weekend visit to family in the Coachella Valley and said he \u201cnever intended to cause alarm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators counter that corrosion made the projectile impossible to identify visually, but an X-ray clearly showed a fuze well and high-explosive fill. \u201cA 25 mm high-explosive incendiary round is essentially a small grenade,\u201d explained Master Gunnery Sgt. Leah Ortiz, a Marine Corps munitions expert not involved in the case. \u201cEven without a fuze, the main charge can detonate if the casing is cracked or if the round is subjected to impact or heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the live round was confirmed, the Riverside County Sheriff\u2019s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team assumed command. Officers escorted the bag to a remote section of the tarmac, where a robot loaded the projectile into a reinforced containment vessel. The device was then driven in a convoy to an undeveloped stretch of desert near Gene Autry Trail and Tamarisk Road. At 11:47 a.m., technicians buried the round in a shallow pit and initiated a counter-charge, destroying it safely. Palm Springs police released drone footage showing a brief plume of sand and smoke, confirming the detonation.<\/p>\n
Weaver was detained on suspicion of possessing a destructive device in a public airport, a felony under California Penal Code \u00a7 18710. He was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and released Tuesday on $25,000 bail. The Marine Corps has launched a parallel administrative investigation and placed Weaver on temporary suspension from drill duties.<\/p>\n
Military memorabilia collectors and service members sometimes assume that corroded or dented rounds are harmless, but explosives experts say age and condition are unreliable indicators. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) logs dozens of airport seizures every year involving inert-looking shells that later test positive for live explosive. Penalties can include:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest misconception is that if something looks old or rusty it can\u2019t hurt you,\u201d said Traci Beam, an ATF spokeswoman in Los Angeles. \u201cWe see Civil War-era cannonballs, World War II grenades and Vietnam-era landmines that remain volatile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Active-duty personnel and veterans often travel with medals, uniforms or demilitarized ordnance for displays. The TSA allows inert ammunition components\u2014shell casings without powder or primers\u2014in both checked and carry-on bags, but anything larger than .75 caliber must be declared and presented for inspection. Travelers unsure about an item can post a photo to the @AskTSA social-media channels; agents typically respond within an hour with guidance.<\/p>\n
Airport police recommend that anyone who inherits or discovers military ordnance contact local law enforcement rather than transporting it. Most jurisdictions will send an officer to collect the item at no cost and can arrange safe disposal through military EOD units.<\/p>\n