MESA, AZ — A Mesa police officer was injured early Thursday when someone threw an explosive device near his patrol car, police said.
The officer was responding to a routine call for service near 96th Street and Sunland Avenue in east Mesa when the device went off shortly before 6 a.m. He was taken to a nearby hospital emergency room. Police have not released his name or condition.
Video taken by a neighbor appears to show a man at a home on 96th Street tossing a burning object onto the ground near a Mesa police car. Seconds later, the object explodes in a bright flash.
Neighbors several blocks away said they heard the boom.
The Mesa Police Department later posted a photo of the damaged patrol car on social media.
Police detained three people, including Daniel Simmons, 73, who lives at the home. Simmons said the other two people detained were his friends.
Simmons said he doesn’t know who is behind the explosion. He said he was in bed when it happened.
“I didn’t see it. I just heard the big boom,” Simmons said. “The others said it blew a cop car all to hell.”
Across the street, neighbors heard the explosion and then watched their street fill with police cars.
Larry Martinez, who shared the video with ABC15, said fireworks are common in the neighborhood. He said he was getting a cup of coffee when he heard the blast.
“My shades were closed, but I still saw the brightness,” Martinez said. “I said, ‘What the hell? That can’t be a firecracker.’”
Randy Meyer, who has lived on the street for 30 years, said heavy police activity in the area has become more common.
“It’s become more and more of a regularity,” Meyer said. “I’ve seen it probably three or four times in the last year.”
Late Thursday, Det. Cervantez said the patrol officer has been released from medical care. She also said two people — Christopher Byasse, 58 and Christopher Jones, 55 are being booked into the Maricopa County Detention Center. Byasse is expected to face felony charges, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and arson. Jones is expected to be charged arson and criminal damage. Both are expected to appear in court on Friday.
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