Car explosion outside Palm Springs reproductive health facility leaves 1 dead

[SunSeeker]

Source: KTLA.com

A car explosion outside a reproductive health facility in Palm Springs left one person dead late Saturday morning.

Preliminary information from local media outlets indicated that the explosion occurred at American Reproductive Centers, which is located at 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive, around 11 a.m.

No information surrounding the decedent’s identity or where they were when the explosion occurred was available.The FBI also announced they would be deploying assistance, including investigators, bomb technicians and an evidence response team, to the scene to help local authorities. ATF investigators are also being deployed, officials said.

The FBI also announced they would be deploying assistance, including investigators, bomb technicians and an evidence response team, to the scene to help local authorities. ATF investigators are also being deployed, officials said.

Read more: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/explosion-rocks-building-in-palm-springs/amp/

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I bet that's one place Noem won't do a photo op. Let's see if she calls this terrorism...

[applegrove]

1. Glass broke at a liquor store around the corner.

Scary.

[GJGCA]

2. Here's the center's website

https://arcbabies.com/

[John1956PA]

3. Is it reasonable to consider the possibility that a Christian extremist is responsible?

I know nothing about any movement by Christians to exert violence toward fertility clinics. I am just thinking that, perhaps, some Christians harbor resentment against IVF because it results in the culling of embryos.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. So-called "abortion abolitionists" are also against IVF for precisely that reason.

https://www.choice42.com/build-a-baby

[MarineCombatEngineer]

7. And, last I remember,

Palm Springs, CA is a R/W city, not saying it was a planned attack, but if it looks like a duck, walk likes a duck, quacks like a duck, then chances are it's a duck.

[GJGCA]

17. The city itself no; the area round about, yep

PS is a RW city -- not so much.

Wikipedia: In January 2018, Palm Springs ushered in America's first fully LGBTQ comprised city government.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Springs,_California

[MarineCombatEngineer]

20. Yeah, I probably should have stressed that,

not the city itself, but the outlying areas.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. I looked at the center's website, and one thing it listed was they're happy with LGBTQ clients

which could be another thing that enrages extremists.

[magicarpet]

27. Hegseth will awaken khristian Nationalists

..... who feel a Crusade for the cross is a dandy idea right now. Why not catch this wave Christo-Fascism with terrorists acts to keep the flame burning.

Also too,...

Abortion clinics and fertility clinics,...
do not subscribe to God's Plan

Humankind has no right to intercede or alter God's Plan in any way, shape, or form. God's Devine Design/Purpose is infallible - and should not be questioned or second guessed by man.

[ShazzieB]

23. I immediately had similar thoughts.

Like you, I'm not aware of any movement, but it's not hard to imagine some crazed individual deciding to do this for the reasons you mentioned.

I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions, since so little is known at this point, but that certainly is not an impossibility, imo.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Most likely 1) Angry customer, 2) Jilted partner, 3) maga thought "abortion clinic", 4) anti-IVF christian absolutist

... in that order.

[wolfie001]

39. I will never give that word a capital letter again

As in: christian-fascist movement. They deserve ZERO respect.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

4. So it looks like the vehicle was in the parking lot in the back

and blew debris from the building forward into the street.

That must have been a very powerful explosion, I'm not seeing anything left of the vehicle.

[sheshe2]

8. Watching the news now.

The building is destroyed and stores around it are damaged!

Looking at the scene I am surprised only one is dead. Not sure how the 5 injured are fairing.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

9. Looking closer at the video,

i do see just the frame and engine, right at the back entrance of the building.
I'm definitely leaning towards a terror attack, probably a domestic terror attack from some anti abortion lunatic.

[sheshe2]

13. I will put my money on that one.

[Warpy]

29. I can think of two main possibilities

The most likely: some neck bearded self proclaimed Christian soldier who read "reproductive center" and didn't consider the fine print and assumed it was an abortion clinic instead of a place women went to get pregnant, saw no cops in evidence, and whipped into the unguarded parking lot to detonate his bomb--OR==
The far less likely culprit, someone whose spouse/daughter/sibling had gone through surgical and hormonal hell in an expensive, painful and desperate attempt to get pregnant and it hadn't worked.

I can't really think of a third option, but I'm open to suggestions. I'm wearily waiting for confirmation of this asshole's identity, you know, for science.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

30. I think you hit the nail on the head.

[Liberty Belle]

37. Workplace violence is always a possibility though the ones you mentioned seem more likely.

We had a Jewish dental clinic shot up here with dentist killed, and a lot of people thought it was antisemitism.

Turned out to be a disgruntled patient.

A car bomb by a local college turned out to be planted by a man trying to kill his wife.

Let's hope the cops can find some answers soon.

[Warpy]

43. I considered that, but the target would be more specific

and one of those "I'll fis YOU' things involving a gun or smaller IED. This was meant to flatten the whole building, but used the wrong type of explosive (I was a teenager from hell). Most of the force went up and the damage from the blast wave looked pretty limited, most of the clinic looked like a mess but structurally intact. Nobody's posted pictures of the interior, but generally if the roof looks good, it's sheetrock and cosmetics. Damage in the area was largely limited to glass, unless the othertruck axle fell on top of something.

Bet it scared the poop out of everybody in Palm Springs.

Still, this was aimed at a specific whole building and everybody in it, not specific targets. For that reason, I just cited the two possibilities I did.

[LiberalArkie]

49. Looks like the person pulled right up to the door of the building in the parking lot and detonated the bomb.

Propelling the vehicle back towards the dumpster shed (which was not damaged). It looks like there was so much force that the energy went from the parking lot entrance all the way out the door at the street and out through the roof of the building.

I think also that the fruitcake say "Reproductive Center" on the front of the building and in their feeble brain thought it was one of the "after birth baby killer" abortion clinics.

[sheshe2]

44. They said the explosion caused damage to 5 blocks!

JHC!

[Bengus81]

52. That's the case 99.99% of the time.

[AZ8theist]

19. My first thought was it was a Tesla Deplorean exploding.

But that image clearly shows a terrorist bomb, IMO. Hopefully it was the moron who set it off was the one who got killed.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

21. I confess that my first thought was it's a cybertruck.

Hopefully, the only fatality was the terrorist who set the damn thing off.

Edit: It's now being reported that the fatality is an innocent person just walking in front of the building.
Hope they catch the fucker and anyone else involved and they spend the rest of their miserable lives in prison.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

35. Looks like pro job: shaped charge into clinic, engine blown all the way to garbage bins at back, no sideways force. nt

[Historic NY]

50. Wow that definitely was a massive explosion

they are calling it terrorism

[gay texan]

54. Thats OKC level n/t

[Jilly_in_VA]

5. Sounds planned to me

and would it be too much to hope that the person who set it off is also the person it killed?

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. That seems quite likely - this report says all staff were safe and accounted for, and there were no patients

it being a Saturday: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/17/car-explosion-ivf-facility-palm-springs

It's in the car park round the back, really close to the building (I'd guess the car was driven right up to the wall - maybe even through a window/door into it - the damage to the street front of the building is extensive).

[SunSeeker]

18. Looks like the deceased was a passerby on the street.

There is a shot at this link of a body covered with a white sheet in the street in front of clinic: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/explosion-rocks-building-in-palm-springs/

The car that exploded was in the parking lot behind the clinic.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Damn - sorry to hear that. I've also seen "several injured" in another report

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyvme1e8gd5o

I thought that perhaps streets like that weren't that busy with pedestrians.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

33. Maybe a body, but seems too small in relation to curb. Not sure it was necessary to post that, esp w advertising

Cropping images is a basic 21st century skill. Nobody is too old or young to do it with all the apps.

[SunSeeker]

40. Now they're saying that was a pody part, not a full body.

It may have been a chunk of the bomber's body that was blasted through the building or over the building.

Apparently there were body parts at various places at the scene. Gruesome. It appears the bomber was blown to bits, literally. Authorities say they have identified a "person of interest," but are not looking for that person, so that suggest the bits belong to the bomber.

[SunSeeker]

42. Yes, looks like the bomber was the person killed.

Authorities say they have identified a "person of interest," but are not looking for that person, so that suggests the body/body parts belong to the bomber.

[Jacson6]

10. Apparently this is a IVF clinic. It has nothing to do with abortions.

I remember a law & order episode where a divorced wife wanted to destroy the embryos so that her now deceased husband's new wife could NOT give birth to their babies.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. "Abortion abolitionists" have been targeting IVF clinics here and there with protests and harassment in recent months.

[Jacson6]

14. But if they are bombing IVF clinics they are destroying embryos or in their twisted mind human beings.

So they would be killing 'human beings'. But some people have the idea that making human martyrs is in glory to their gods.



It will all come out very soon.

[SunSeeker]

15. Fortunately, no embryos were lost.

American Reproductive Centers (ARC) put a statement out on social media that called the incident “unexpected and tragic” while confirming that no members of their team were harmed; additionally, the facility’s lab containing “all eggs, embryos and reproductive materials” remains fully secure and undamaged.

[Kali]

26. Also the gays

Place welcomed LGBT+ patients

[John1956PA]

16. I remember an episode to that effect.

Assistant D.A. Carmichael, portrayed by Angie Harmon, made the dry, understated comment, "It's just a motive that I do not see very often."

Also, in the first or second season, there was an episode about a bombing at an abortion clinic. Edward Herrmann was excellent as the anti-abortion crusader. Actress Caroline Kava was also excellent in her role as an anti-abortion spokesperson.

[dickthegrouch]

25. With all those different teams and agencies involved

Is the actual goal to assist, or to obstruct the investigation?
Jurisdiction and evidence chain of custody fights abound in these cases.

"The FBI also announced they would be deploying assistance, including investigators, bomb technicians and an evidence response team, to the scene to help local authorities. ATF investigators are also being deployed, officials said. "

[colorado_ufo]

28. People who employ bombs are among the top tier of the worst human beings on earth.

They do not care whom they hurt or kill. They are soulless.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

32. Almost as bad as arsonists. Arson is often uncontrolled and more than the target gets destroyed

Bad enough if only the target gets destroyed or damaged, but fires can go wild and to other structures or as wildfires / forest fires.

Both arson and bombings are particularly cowardly; mind you mass shooters / suicide-by-cop aren't brave either.

It's all a fundamental failure of the system including mental health care (lack) and societal pressures out of control (bullying, medical bills, etc).

[bluestarone]

55. Yea that's so true!!

Their GAWD tells them it's ok. STUPID BASTARDS>

[BootinUp]

31. Ok, I'm caught up now.

what a world.

[Liberty Belle]

36. While a right-wing attacker seems plausible, we don't know that yet.

A few years ago a car bomb went off near a local community college and most people were afraid it was terrorism.

It turned out to be a guy trying to kill his wife by planting a bomb under her car. Thankfully she survived,and he wound up in prison.

Maybe someone didn't want their spouse getting impregnated, for all we know.

The big concern is if it was an attack by an anti-reproductive rights nut job, and the Trump administration refuses to investigate or prosecute. Let's hope the local authorities will.

[Liberty Belle]

38. Sounds like the dead person was probably the shooter:

(If they're not looking for a suspect, that almost surely means the dead guy was the bomber and they're just waiting to notify his family before releasing his ID. They wouldn't be saying there's no current danger otherwise.)

https://www.hidesertstar.com/deserttrail/fbi-in-twentynine-palms-after-explosion-at-palm-springs-fertility-clinic/article_11aff80c-964b-400c-a1a3-3333782e0682.html

Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, Akil Davis, said the clinic was deliberately targeted. Davis said in a press conference that investigators were not searching for a suspect, but he would not speak to whether the bomber was the person killed in the explosion.

"One person who was near the vehicle is deceased," Davis said.

Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills also did not say if the suspect was killed, but assured Palm Springs resident there was no current danger.

"Make no mistake: This was an intentional act of terrorism," he said. "The FBI is investigating it as such."

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. "shooter"? Where do you get that?

[TheProle]

56. In fairness, it's about as accurate as the rest of the thread.

[Old Crank]

45. Where is the Puppy Perforator?

Has she launcher a terrorist investigation yet.
I mean they were quick on a book title.

[Old Crank]

46. It is looking like the perpetrator was killed

In the explosion.
Police, etc, are searching a location out of town.

[Eugene]

47. The FBI is investigating the explosion at a California fertility clinic as an act of terrorism

The FBI is investigating the explosion at a California fertility clinic as an act of terrorism

The person believed responsible for an attack targeting a Southern California fertility clinic Saturday posted rambling online writings before an explosion that investigators are treating as an act of terrorism, according to a law enforcement official.

The suspect, who died in the explosion that tore through the clinic and rattled the upscale California city of Palm Springs, also attempted to record video or stream the attack, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

“Make no mistake: This is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told an evening news conference.

Authorities were still working to piece together a motive and build a chronology of events leading up to the attack. Though the FBI did not say how it had determined the explosion was terrorism, the writings left behind, in which the suspect communicated a belief that the world should not be populated, appear to shed light on the person’s state of mind and help explain investigators’ thesis that the attack was targeted and intentional.

https://apnews.com/article/california-explosion-palm-springs-eb8887fbe5877a20a40916aba86554ea

[SunSeeker]

48. "the writings left behind, in which the suspect communicated a belief that the world should not be populated"

A fertility clinic in Palm Sptings seems like an odd target if world population is their issue. But they were probably mentally ill, so trying to make sense of this may be pointless.

[Renew Deal]

51. There are probably "better" targets, but not easier ones.

I wonder if this person would have used WMD’s against living people if they could.

[ClaudetteCC]

57. supposedly promortalism.com is his website

he appears to have been a very niche variety of nutjob

[SunSeeker]

58. Very niche.

If they don't think the world should be populated, doesn't that include them? So it's basically a suicide cult?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

53. Sometimes the real world hits too close to home.

The Palm Springs fertility clinic that was blown up was near the hospital where I had an operation last week.

[AntiFascist]

59. The bomber has (or had) a website: promortalism.com...

it pretty clearly spells out his beliefs and intentions, basically he had a suicide pact with a close female friend who previously committed suicide. It's pretty clear they were against pro-lifers and religion in general. Noem would probably claim that this is what extreme leftist beliefs will lead to.

[mackdaddy]

60. So why is this not being investigated as Domestic Terrorism?

Oh, yea ... he was a right wing crank so he was just 'disturbed'.

[SunSeeker]

61. It will be now that they found out he was an "anti-natalist" and "anti-pro-life."

I'm sure Pam Bondi will make a lot of hay from this. She has already made a statement about it.