Police: Man detonates small bomb at Washington Co. traffic stop
A man and a Washington County Sheriff’s Office detective were both injured Wednesday afternoon when the man detonated a small explosive device during a traffic stop in Rock Creek, officials said.
Shortly before 4 p.m., the sheriff’s detective spotted a man he knew was wanted for violating the terms of his probation, the agency said. The man was associated with a nearby apartment where a search warrant was being executed by local and federal authorities.
The detective initiated a traffic stop on the man’s SUV and the man failed to stop. A brief pursuit ensued and the man stopped on Northwest 185th Avenue just south of Rock Creek Boulevard.
Moments later, the man detonated a small, handheld explosive device, deputies said. The detective was not seriously injured and was treated and released from a local hospital. He was not identified by the sheriff’s office.
Other deputies arrived and took Jason P. Schaefer, 26, into custody for violating the terms of his probation. He also received treatment at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the explosion. When Schaefer is medically stable, he will be lodged at the Washington County Jail. Additional charges from Wednesday’s incident are expected.
KGW quoted court records that said Schaefer pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of body armor. The FBI in September learned that Schaefer had purchased hexamine, which can be used to make a chemical used in homemade explosives for suicide bombings, the station reported.
Schaefer also allegedly purchased remotes intended to set off fireworks from a distance and more than 100 electric matches, court documents said. Investigators determined Schaefer’s apartment had explosives that could be detonated remotely.
On Tuesday, a federal judge approved a search warrant for Schaefer’s apartment, and Schaefer was called to the probation department to be interviewed by special agents. He stormed out of the Tuesday interview, court documents said, and his whereabouts were unknown until Wednesday.
