title: "Officer hospitalized after explosive device thrown at patrol car in east Mesa" url: "https://www.azfamily.com/2026/11/12/officer-hospitalized-after-explosion-damages-police-vehicle-east-mesa/" author: "Brian Petersheim"

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — An officer was taken to a hospital after an explosive device was thrown at his patrol car in east Mesa early Thursday morning.

Around 6 a.m., first responders were called to a report of shots fired in the area of 96th Street and Hampton Avenue, near Southern Avenue and Ellsworth Road.

While searching the area, an officer stopped with his emergency lights on at 96th Street and Sunland Avenue, two blocks south of the original call, according to Mesa Police spokesperson Laura Cervantes.

An officer was taken to a hospital after an explosive device was thrown at his patrol car in east Mesa early Thursday morning.(Mesa Police Department)

Police say an “undetermined explosive device” was intentionally thrown at the vehicle and damaged the officer’s squad car.

The officer was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

Police said three people were detained. The explosion was a separate incident from the original shots-fired call, according to police.

Officers have set up a perimeter and are investigating both scenes. Authorities are asking people to avoid the area while the investigation continues.

Police say a nearby school was briefly placed on lockdown as a precaution during the incident, but that lockdown has since been lifted.