The Bronx man shot dead by a federal agent Tuesday night when he threatened to pull the pin on a grenade during a buy-and-bust operation was more likely trying to scam a potential buyer than sell explosives, authorities said yesterday.
The career criminal, identified as Santos Mulero, 57, had a long rap sheet with 27 arrests and four felony convictions for crimes such as drug dealing, drunken driving and auto theft.
The NYPD bomb squad said the grenade was disabled, although it could have been activated.
“An inert hand grenade is just as dangerous as an unloaded gun,” an explosives expert said yesterday. “All you need is the powder.”