Grenade Launcher Found in Car Near Library

A simple traffic stop turned into a tense three-hour situation Tuesday afternoon when police discovered something unusual in the car.

A officer stopped a blue Dodge Durango because the driver was playing the radio too loudly, but then the officer noticed a 4-foot AT4 military rocket launcher in the back seat. The driver, a 15-year-old Novato boy, was arrested and taken to juvenile hall for possession of a destructive weapon and other minor charges.

Novato police Cpl. Nick Frey said there was no indication the suspect intended to use the rocket launcher, but that "his mere possession of it was an issue for us."

The teen, who does not have a driver's license, was alone in the car. His mother was notified by police.

Police shut down Novato Boulevard between Seventh and Grant Avenue for three hours near the main Novato Library. A bomb squad from the University of California at Berkeley Police Department, which took possession of the rocket launcher and turned it over to a local military institution. Novato firefighters and a California Highway Patrol helicopter monitored the situation. No ammunition was found.

The single-shot, recoilless weapon was developed in the early 1980s and is made in Sweden and the United States.

The suspect's brother is reportedly a member of the military, but he was not arrested and claimed possession of the Durango.

The street reopened at about 1 p.m.

Scott Bauer, deputy director of Marin County Library Services, said 50 people, including eight to 10 staff members, were evacuated from the
library during the incident.