Hand grenade found in Tacoma Goodwill donation bin forces store evacuation
May 7, 2026, 7:34 AM
Exterior of a Goodwill store. (Getty Images file photo)
(Getty Images file photo)
A Goodwill in Tacoma needed to be evacuated earlier this week after an employee found a hand grenade in one of the donation bins.
Officers with the Tacoma Police Department were called to the Goodwill, located at 5401 6th Avenue in Tacoma, just after 1 p.m. Tuesday. The store had no record of who donated the grenade.
The Goodwill was then evacuated for “safety reasons” as the Tacoma Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal team was called in to investigate. The team then determined the grenade was “inoperable” and “safe,” according to the Tacoma Police Department.
The Goodwill was then deemed safe to reenter and continue its business.
While a grenade isn’t specifically barred from being donated to Goodwill, a nonprofit thrift store that sells donated goods, the establishment does not accept firearms or fireworks.
KING 5 cited a Goodwill blog post from last October that listed strange items donated to Goodwill across the state, including a human skull, a preserved shark in a jar, and vintage display foods.
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