WASHINGTON — Shops in a portion of Northwest D.C. had to be shut down Sunday after a citizen came to the 4th District police station and said a grenade had been found.

D.C. police said the incident happened at around 10:30 a.m. Several blocks of Georgia Avenue and Peabody Street Northwest were closed pending “safe recovery.”

The grenade, which was in the citizen’s car, was deactivated by police, according to Lt. Sean Conboy of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Businesses — including a Walmart and nearby McDonald’s — as well as some residences, were evacuated.

By 2:30 p.m. the scene cleared and everything returned to normal.

Officials recommend people call police whenever they come across a dangerous item such as a grenade. Trained responders will be able to go to the scene and remove it properly, rather than having someone potentially risk getting hurt or trying to bring it to police.

Some shoppers seen leaving the Walmart affected by Georgia Ave closure. #wtop pic.twitter.com/2WDdvxjomC

— Dennis J. Foley (@DJFoleyWTOP) December 6, 2015