Overview
- Police say someone threw an improvised explosive device at an occupied Mesa patrol car during an early‑morning response on Thursday, where the device detonated near the rear driver‑side tire.
- The officer reported ringing in his ears, was taken to a hospital for evaluation and was later released from medical care.
- Neighbor surveillance video and bomb‑squad work that found cardboard fragments, scorch marks and residue helped investigators identify and arrest Christopher Patrick Byassee and Christopher David Jones.
- Court documents show Byassee, a convicted felon, faces multiple counts including aggravated assault on a first responder and arson and is held on a $500,000 secured bond while Jones faces arson and criminal‑damage charges and is held on a $200,000 secured bond; both have status and preliminary hearings set for Nov. 19 and Nov. 23.
- Officers recovered lighters, a butane torch and several firearms in a locked bedroom linked to Byassee and briefly locked down a nearby school during the response, and officials say the probe remains active but that there is no ongoing public threat.