A car bomb was detonated outside a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic by a man who self-described himself as “pro-mortalist.” The suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, was the only one who died as a result, injuring four others. Authorities have labeled the incident as an “act of terrorism.”
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According to the New York Post, the incident took place on Saturday, May 17, just outside of American Reproductive Centers. According to Palm Springs Mayor Ron Deharte, who spoke with the outlet, the explosion was believed at the time to have come from a parked vehicle outside the fertility clinic. Later, this fact was confirmed.
An update issued on Sunday, May 17, by law enforcement reports that Bartkus is believed to have detonated the car bomb outside the clinic located on North Indian Canyon Drive. Furthermore, the 25-year-old man is also the only one killed by the blast, with authorities detailing that a person, believed to be Bartkus, “was near the vehicle” at the time of the explosion.
Four people were injured by the blast. Several buildings in the area were damaged or even destroyed by the magnitude of the explosion. Reportedly, the explosion’s blast was felt a mile away from the blast zone. The event was labeled an “intentional act of terrorism” by the FBI, according to the Desert Sun.
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According to KCAL, Guy Edward Bartkus held extreme views and expressed them in multiple “writings and recordings.”
“He was against bringing people into the world against their will,” the outlet reported, citing law enforcement sources.
As reported by ABC7, FBI agents swarmed Bartkus’s home and evacuated the Twentynine Palms neighborhood on Saturday. Authorities were concerned that the Bartkus’s home was filled with explosives. To that end, authorities even brought an EOD robot to the scene.
Thomas Bickel, a neighbor, described the tense moments neighbors lived in Twentynine Palms.
“There was just a bunch of sheriff’s deputies going door to door, telling everyone to leave,” Bickel told the outlet. “I have kids and they come hang out at my house sometimes, and knowing that someone was building a bomb that close to where me and my kids are. It’s pretty scary.”
Bartkus’s Twentynine Palms house is an hour’s drive away from the fertility clinic where the explosion took place.
All people injured in the blast received treatment and were discharged. As per the Los Angeles Times, an AK-47, an AR-style rifle, and ammunition were found by police next to the exploded vehicle.
The FBI continues to investigate the incident.