BERLIN (AP) — A dog walker in the German capital can be thankful he turned out to be a fruitless target after his close call with a coconut cannon.

The man was walking in an industrial area on March 1 when he heard a bang and a ball-shaped projectile flew past him, hitting a nearby lamppost.

Berlin police say officers called to the scene were surprised to find a large homemade cannon capable of shooting coconuts at high speeds with compressed air.

A 23-year-old man told officers he had helped to build the cannon for an art project in the Antarctic and wanted to test it before it was shipped.

Police said Wednesday they impounded the cannon and prosecutors are investigating whether it breaches arms control laws.