Police arrest 2 suspected of throwing explosive device at Mesa patrol vehicle

Two men face charges that include aggravated assault and arson in connection with hurling an explosive device at an occupied Mesa police vehicle.

Police allege that Christopher Byassee, 57, and Christopher Jones, 55, were responsible in the Nov. 12 incident that sent an officer to a hospital. The officer has been released from medical care.

Surveillance footage from a nearby home “captured the device being ignited and intentionally thrown toward the patrol vehicle,” police stated in a release. A flame was seen “as the device traveled toward the vehicle, where it detonated, resulting in a loud explosion.”

Police said it is unknown whether the device was homemade.

 Byassee was booked on:

• Aggravated Assault on a First Responder.
• Arson of an Occupied Structure.
• Possession of a Prohibited Weapon.
• Possession of a Weapon by a Prohibited Person.
• Depositing Explosives.
• Criminal Damage – Defacing.
• Possession of a Defaced Deadly Weapon.
• Disorderly Conduct Involving a Dangerous Weapon/Instrument.

Jones was booked on:

• Arson of an Occupied Structure.
• Criminal Damage – Defacing.

Byassee received a $500,000 secured bond and Jones received a $200,000 secured bond.

Prior to the explosion, officers were responding to a shots-fired call about 6 a.m. Nov. 12 near 96^th Street and Hampton Avenue, police said.

The investigation into the shots-fired incident is ongoing. No arrests have been made, police said.

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