LAUREL — A 20-year-old Delmar man was charged after threatening people with a hand grenade Tuesday, Delaware State Police said.

At approximately 1:12 a.m., troopers were called to Royal Farms, 30983 Sussex Highway, for reports of a man pacing in front of the store with a suspicious object in his pocket. Laurel police officers located the man at a business across the street from the Royal Farms.

The man, identified as Brandon Thompson, was taken into custody without further incident. Troopers recovered a grenade and a knife from his pockets, police said.

An investigation determined that Mr. Thompson had been at Royal Farms with a group of friends several hours earlier. At that time, an employee overheard him threatening to blow up himself and a woman in the group, police said.

When Mr. Thompson returned to the store hours later, employees were concerned for their safety, as he began pacing out front. Police said troopers identified the woman from earlier as Mr. Thompson’s girlfriend and discovered he had made several additional threats to blow up and stab his group of friends if they came looking for him when he left Royal Farms.

Members of the state police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team responded and secured the grenade, which was found to be a training piece that had been modified, similar to a pipe bomb.

Mr. Thompson was charged with possession of a destructive weapon, terroristic threatening (three counts) and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution, Georgetown, on a $9,100 cash bond.