An anti-gang officer in Hemet, Calif., discovered a deadly device attached to his car Friday — in what appears to be the third attempt in the past two months to injure or kill members of an anti-gang unit in southwest Riverside County, MyFoxLA.com reported.
An officer with the Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force called for back-up after discovering a threatening device next to his car, parked outside of a store. Authorities cordoned off the intersection near the vehicle while a bomb unit disabled the instrument.
The explosive device had been affixed to the vehicle prior to the officer's drive to the store, Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart told MyFoxLA.com.
"We're not releasing what type of device it was," Wisehart said. "All we can say is it would have killed or injured the officer if it had done what it was supposed to do."
Authorities have not yet named a suspect.
The booby trap comes months after authorities discovered a natural gas line on the roof of the task force's headquarters building had been redirected into the facility — filling it with gas, which could have caused an explosion. In February, an anti-gang officer was opening a gate at the task force's office when he was nearly struck by a bullet that was part of a booby trap triggered when the gate moved, MyFoxLA.com reported.
The task force is now operating from an undisclosed location.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of whoever is responsible for the previous two attacks.
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