MESA, Ariz. — A convicted felon is accused of intentionally throwing an explosive device at a Mesa police officer’s patrol car while the officer was inside, according to court documents obtained by AZ Family.
Around 6 a.m. on Nov. 12, officers were investigating a report of shots fired near 96th Street and Hampton Avenue. One officer stopped about two blocks north, at 96th Street and Sunland Avenue, with his emergency lights on and his windows down.
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Court documents say the suspect, identified as Christopher Byassee, threw an explosive device at the car. It went off near the rear driver-side tire, blowing off the gas door, damaging a taillight, and leaving burn marks and residue on the vehicle.
The officer drove away to find cover because he didn’t know what had exploded, according to the documents. He reported ringing in his ear.
Mesa police said the shots-fired report appears to be unrelated to the explosion.
A neighbor’s surveillance camera recorded two men standing on a patio, the documents say. One held an item that appeared to be on fire. The taller man, identified as Byassee, threw it toward the patrol car.
Police said the device landed, rolled toward the car and exploded about five seconds later in a large cloud of smoke. The flash was bright enough to switch the camera from night vision to daytime mode. Both men then walked back into the house, according to the documents.
When officers called people out of the home, Byassee, a man identified as Christopher Jones and a third man, identified as the homeowner, came out and were detained. Officers cleared the house and found no one else inside. Police ruled out the homeowner as a suspect, noting that he uses a walker and didn’t match the two men in the video.
Bomb squad detectives confirmed an improvised explosive device had detonated. They found small pieces of cardboard and scorch marks at the intersection where the patrol car had been parked.
A search warrant turned up several lighters and a butane torch in the home. Investigators took DNA and residue swabs from both men.
Byassee and Jones initially denied knowing what caused the explosion, according to the documents. Jones later told police he saw Byassee holding a butane torch and something lit that he thought was a firework, and that Byassee threw it over his shoulder at the patrol car.
Officers also found several firearms in a back bedroom with a keypad lock, including a shotgun with a damaged serial number. The homeowner identified the room as Byassee’s, and officers found other items showing it belonged to him.
Byassee asked for an attorney. His bond was set at $500,000 on charges of:
- Aggravated assault on a first responder
- Arson of an occupied structure
- Possession of a prohibited weapon
- Criminal damage
- Disorderly conduct
- Depositing explosives
- Two counts of possessing a weapon as a prohibited possessor
Jones was booked as an accomplice on charges of arson of an occupied structure and criminal damage. His bond was set at $200,000.
