A Mesa police officer survived an explosive attack on his patrol car early Thursday morning after two suspects threw a device with a lit fuse at his vehicle.
The officer, who had stopped with his emergency lights activated at 96th Street and Sunland Avenue, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and released later the same day. His patrol car sustained only light damage in the blast, which occurred just after police responded to a shots-fired call in the area of 96th Street and Hampton Avenue.
Video obtained by AZFamily shows a person tossing the object at the officer’s car. The device exploded after it was thrown. Mesa police have not determined what kind of explosive device was used, but believe the officer was specifically targeted in the attack.
Two suspects were arrested and booked in connection with the incident. Christopher Byasse, 57, faces charges of aggravated assault against law enforcement, arson, and misconduct involving a weapon. Police noted that Byasse was already prohibited from possessing a weapon. Christopher Jones, 55, was charged with one count of arson and one count of criminal damage.
Authorities said the initial shots-fired report that brought officers to the area appears to be unrelated to the explosive device attack. A nearby school was placed on a brief lockdown as a precaution during the incident. Police have stated there is no current threat to the community.
International security consultant Karl de la Guerra told AZFamily that the incident appeared to be a “targeted type event.”
“There is going to be a blast radius there. There is going to be an area where the explosive device has come apart, and evidence is going to be left behind, all the way down to the microscopic level,” he said. “Law enforcement is going to be looking at the evidence was left behind. They’re going to be able more than likely to rebuild this device and image and be able to tell exactly what kind of a device it was.”
While de la Guerra said he was unsure what type of device was used, he expressed confidence that investigators could determine its composition through forensic analysis of the blast debris.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to Mesa police.
Mesa, located in Maricopa County just east of Phoenix, is Arizona’s third-largest city. The attack drew a significant police response to the intersection near the city’s northern edge.
Police have not released additional details about what may have motivated the suspects or whether they have any prior connection to law enforcement. The officer’s identity has not been made public.
The investigation into the incident is continuing, police said.