Christopher Byassee was booked into jail on a $500,000 bond on charges including aggravated assault on a first responder, arson of an occupied structure, possession of a prohibited weapon, criminal damage, disorderly conduct, depositing explosives and two counts of possessing a weapon as a prohibited possessor. Christopher Jones, 55, was booked as an accomplice on charges of arson of an occupied structure and criminal damage, with his bond set at $200,000.

The incident began around 6 a.m. when first responders were called to a report of shots fired near 96th Street and Hampton Avenue, close to Southern Avenue and Ellsworth Road. While searching the area, a Mesa officer stopped about two blocks north at 96th Street and Sunland Avenue with his emergency lights on and windows down.

According to court documents, Byassee intentionally threw an unknown explosive device at the car while the officer was inside. The blast detonated near the rear driver-side tire, blew off the gas door, damaged a taillight and left burn marks and an unknown residue on the vehicle. The officer drove away to find cover because he did not know what had exploded and reported ringing in his ear. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution and released later Thursday.

A neighbor's surveillance footage helped investigators piece together what happened. The video shows two men standing next to each other on a patio, with a flicker of light appearing and one man holding an item that looked to be on fire. The taller man, identified as Byassee, throws it toward the patrol car. The device landed on the ground, rolled toward the car and exploded into a large cloud of smoke about five seconds later. Both men walked back into the house as it went off, and the flash was bright enough to switch the camera from night vision to daytime mode.

When officers called people out of the home, Byassee, Jones and a third man came out and were detained. Officers cleared the house and found no one else inside. All three men said no one had come or gone before or after the explosion, and the video backed that up. Byassee and Jones initially denied knowing what the explosion was.

The third man, identified as the homeowner, was ruled out as a suspect. Police wrote that he uses a walker and did not match the two men in the video.

Bomb squad detectives confirmed that an improvised explosive device had detonated and found small pieces of cardboard and scorch marks on the corner of the intersection where the patrol car had been parked. A search warrant turned up several lighters and a butane torch in the home. Investigators also took DNA and residue swabs from both men.

Jones told police he was on the patio with Byassee when he saw the patrol car stop in the intersection. According to documents, Jones said he saw Byassee holding a butane torch and something lit that he believed was a firework, and that Byassee threw it over his shoulder at the police 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. As a convicted felon, Byassee cannot legally own a gun.

Byassee asked for an attorney. The investigation remains ongoing, and the charges against both men are pending in court.