CBRN event in California, Oroville area, United States of America on Mon 22nd September 2025

OROVILLE, Calif. — An Oroville man was arrested Monday night after investigators said a homemade chemical bomb exploded outside an apartment complex where his ex-girlfriend had sought refuge days after reporting he assaulted her.

At 10:20 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, officers with the Oroville Police Department (OPD) responded to reports of an explosion at the Oroville Apartments at 39 Nelson Avenue, according to the Butte County District Attorney's Office. Officers arrived at the apartment complex and found numerous remains of a homemade chemical bomb—scattered shards of glass, chemical residue and aluminum foil.

Just four nights earlier, on Sept. 18, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said 53-year-old David Lee Davis allegedly struck his girlfriend of one year multiple times during a heated argument at their shared home on Coarse Gold Road, leaving her with visible injuries to her arm and back. Davis is also charged with threatening to "kick her teeth down her throat and break her jaw," Ramsey said.

In response to the alleged attack and threats, Ramsey said the girlfriend immediately left the shared home on Coarse Gold Rd. and moved into her grandmother's apartment in the Nelson Avenue complex.

When officers responded to the apartment complex on Monday night, they spoke with the ex-girlfriend, who said she saw Davis pull into the apartment complex parking lot as a passenger in a car. Shortly after, an explosion occurred in the parking lot, scattering shards of glass throughout the area. Thankfully, they said nobody was injured.

While speaking with the ex-girlfriend, Ramsey said she informed officers that Davis previously told her how he could make a homemade bomb out of a glass bottle, muriatic acid and metal foil.

Shortly after the explosion, officers located Davis and arrested him. After searching his home, Ramsey said detectives found a nearly-empty container of muriatic acid, which they believe was used to create the homemade explosive. Additionally, Ramsey said the driver of the car seen entering the apartment complex was also contacted, and they stated Davis was his passenger and was handling a bottle with foil inside shortly before hearing the explosion.

According to Ramsey, Davis's criminal history spans several decades and includes prior felonies for domestic violence, burglary and making a false bomb threat. "These are not idle threats," Ramsey wrote in his release. "The defendant carried out a brutal assault and then detonated an explosive device in an apartment complex where innocent residents could have been seriously injured or killed. The community must be protected from this kind of reckless violence."

Davis faces over 19 years in state prison if convicted on all counts. Ramsey said, at his request, the arraignment judge ordered a no-bail hold on Davis on Thursday, Sept. 25. He returns to court for further arraignment and entry of plea on October 1.

The Butte County District Attorney's Office said the case remains under active review as Oroville detectives continue to gather evidence. Ramsey urged anyone with additional information about the case of tgonctac the Oroville Police Department.