Santa Rosa man high on meth set off M-80 under patrol car, sheriff says
Sonoma County CA Aug 8 2018 The man who allegedly ignited an explosive under a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office patrol car last week was identified Monday by authorities.
Tristan Proto, 22, had been staying with his friend, Alexandra Bodrov, 22, in Forestville for a few days, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. On Friday morning, the two allegedly took methamphetamine and visited downtown Guerneville.
Proto, who is from Santa Rosa, brought what he described as an M-80 type firework with him, officials said.
Bodrov and Proto got into an argument mid-morning Friday and parted ways, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A short time later Proto apparently came across the Sonoma County sheriff’s patrol car in a Safeway parking lot.
Shortly before noon Friday, a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy had gone to the Safeway and parked in the lot. The deputy went inside the grocery store and heard a loud explosion that “rattled the windows,” authorities said. Proto allegedly lit the firework and threw it under the car because “he doesn’t like the Sheriff’s Office.”
The deputy rushed out of the grocery store after hearing the explosion and witnesses pointed at Proto, who was running through the parking lot, authorities said. An off-duty Vallejo police officer tackled Proto, who was taken into custody.
At this time, detectives believe the explosion was an isolated incident and not connected to a pipe bomb left under the Monte Rio Bridge on July 7.
The Sonoma County sheriff’s bomb squad was unable to determine exactly the type of explosive left under the patrol car but noted it was a “pyrotechnic explosive device, which is illegal to possess and illegal to detonate.”
Proto was booked into jail on suspicion of using an explosive with intent to injure and violation of probation for three previous drug charges and a resisting arrest charge, authorities said.
He is being held at the Sonoma County Jail on $78,000 bail.
Bodrov was also arrested for being under the influence of narcotics. She was released after posting $1,000 bail.
