In a third attack on anti-gang officers in Hemet, a suspected pipe bomb was found Friday near an officer's unmarked vehicle, police said.
The anti-gang officer had parked outside a Quik Stop market at Sanderson and Acacia avenues around 9 a.m., and when he returned to the vehicle, he saw what appeared to be a pipe bomb next to it, Hemet police said.
A Riverside County sheriff's bomb squad was sent to investigate the suspicious device, and a four-block area was closed to traffic as a precaution.
The officer is a member of the Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force, which is comprised of Riverside County sheriff's deputies, Hemet police officers and other law enforcement officials.
On December 31, authorities discovered that 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.
On February 23, an anti-gang officer was opening a gate at the task force's office in the 500 block of St. John Place when he was nearly struck by a bullet that was part of a booby trap triggered when the gate moved.
On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of whoever is responsible.
Authorities suspect area gangs are behind the attacks.
