Officers responded to a call for assistance at an apartment complex on Mamalahoa Highway in Honalo, after a 42-year-old woman reported that her estranged boyfriend had suggested that he had at least two live hand grenades, police said. Police took the man into custody and found an item resembling a hand grenade in the woman's car, which was parked at the complex.

Police evacuated the parking area and an adjacent apartment building around 2 a.m. as a precaution. Hawai'i County Civil Defense assisted with the evacuation and opened the Kailua Gymnasium for residents displaced by the evacuation. The building and parking lot were reopened at approximately 6:30

a.m.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit from the 706th ORD CO based at Schofield Barracks on O'ahu responded to the scene and determined that the item in the motor vehicle was a live CS grenade, one that is used for riot control, police said.

Although not lethal, it emits a chemical, similar to tear gas, that is potentially hazardous, police said.

The man was arrested but has not been charged.