Pleasant Hill Police Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest of Antioch Man With Explosive Device

The Pleasant Hill Police Department arrested and Antioch man in connection with an explosive device which was uncovered during a traffic stop Saturday night.

According to police, the incident began when a vehicle was pulled over for an equipment violation at 9:34 pm.  This resulted in the driver pulling into the Chevron Gas Station located at 1705 Contra Costa Blvd in the City of Pleasant Hill. During a probation search, the homemade explosive device was located–it was not a bomb, but possibly a homemade firework.

The Walnut Creek Police Bomb Squad was requested to the scene where it later deemed the device safe. The “all clear” was given by 11:47 pm.

The suspect was identified as Mark Nieve, 27 of the city of Antioch. He was charged with a felony for possession of a destructive device among other misdemeanor charges. and other charges.

On Tuesday,  Dec 27, Pleasant Hill Police responded to a load explosion at the AMPM on Pleasant Hill Road

Our officers arrived on scene with the smoke still clearing, and contacted three subjects loitering to the rear of the business. The investigation revealed the owner of this pictured SUV was setting off illegal aerial fireworks, which caused moderate damage to his vehicle. He was later placed under arrest and booked into jail on multiple charges. Police have not yet released the identification of this suspect as they do not want to compromise the investigation.

Police said Sunday morning although both incident involved explosive devices and fireworks, both appear to be unrelated to one another.