Palm Springs – Authorities believe a bomb explosion was a “intentional act of violence” outside a fertility clinic, with one reportedly dead and at least four people reportedly injured in Palm Springs Saturday.
The agency's joint terrorism investigators are on the scene, the FBI's assistant director of Akil Davis, Los Angeles, said. He described the incident as an “intentional act of terrorism” and its size is the damage caused by several blocks.
On Saturday afternoon, senior Los Angeles Police Department officials circulated an internal briefing Saturday afternoon and were deemed by the Times as the FBI has confirmed the suspect as the only death. The briefing also said that police found two rifles – AK -47 and an AR -Platform rifle – and ammunition next to the explosion vehicle.
During a 5 p.m. press conference, Davis said the FBI had “interested people” in the case, but “we are not actively looking for suspects.” He would not answer further questions about the investigation.
The explosion was reportedly thought to be more than two miles and severely damaged the clinic and several other buildings. Palm Springs officials said the incident occurred on East Tachevah Drive near North Indian Canyon Drive.
Photos at the scene show extensive damage to the American Reproductive Center, the fertility clinic and the IVF laboratory across the street from the Desert Regional Medical Center. An office building two blocks from the explosion was blown up, and five blocks of Denny were blown up.
Palm Springs officials said the explosion came from cars inside or near the Indian Canyon outside the clinic.
“The explosion seemed to be a deliberate act of violence,” said Palm Springs Fire Chief Paul Alvarado.
Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills described an explosion of an act of terrorism, but it was an isolated incident, adding that there was no greater threat to the public.
Authorities say they are still trying to identify the dead. Davis declined to comment on whether the person was considered a possible suspect.
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Many law enforcement agencies on the scene, including Palm Springs Police, the FBI and federal alcohol, tobacco, guns and explosives. Investigators, bomb technicians and the FBI's evidence response team are being deployed, the agency said in a statement on X.
By mid-afternoon, emergency officials blocked off-road near the explosion, and white police cars were stationed in front of the building. Authorities encourage residents to provide any potential evidence and contact law enforcement.
ATF members arrived at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs that was damaged Saturday in a “visible explosion.” At the American Reproductive Center, reports on social media have begun sharing images of explosive boom and broken smoke on social media.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A witness told the Desert Sun that when he walked past the clinic five minutes after the explosion, he saw body parts and parts of the car.
According to its website, the American Reproductive Center is “the first and only full-service fertility center and IVF laboratory in Coachella Valley.”
The clinic has helped over 2,000 families become parents, the website said, and highlighted its partnership with LGBTQ+ families. According to the Desert Sun, the clinic has operated in the Coachella Valley since 2009 since 2009.
Abdallah told the Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday that all his employees were safe and responsible.
“Thank God today is our day without our sickness,” Abdullah said.
Abdallah told Wire Service that the explosion damaged the office space of the clinic where the patient was consulted, but left the IVF lab and all stored embryos.
The clinic called the incident a “vehicle explosion” in a statement posted on Facebook. It said it will open and operate in full on Monday.
“This moment shakes us – but that doesn't stop us,” the statement said. “We will continue to bring a new life into the world with strength, love and hope.”
The clinic released a photo of the consequences of the explosion, showing the building's roofs in trouble, debris flowing into the streets and smoke rolling from the inside.
Tim Prendergast, co-owner of Christopher Anthony Ltd's gallery, is about two blocks from where his business explodes. He first felt the shock wave hit the building and thought it was the beginning of the earthquake.
“But, of course, once I felt the explosion, I knew it wasn't an earthquake,” he said.
After a burst of black smoke, he ran down the street to the explosion site and arrived there a few minutes later. He saw a car on fire and the medical building was engulfed in flames. There are multiple people in the area. Some people bleed but are able to stand.
Then he encountered a body part on the street.
Emergency personnel blocked a street in Palm Springs, one of which died and several were reportedly injured.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“I was in Palm Canyon and saw a full body upper torso,” he said as his voice ruptured. “There are a lot of body parts, but they all come out of the explosion in the car.”
He said there were explosive cars and other debris emitted, as well as thermal insulation that floated in the air.
He added: “I also noticed that thousands of auto parts radiate in all directions, radiating from the circular pattern of the car, which is only interrupted by the rear facade of the American Reproductive Center.”
He feared that the bombing was an act of family terrorism targeting clinics in the LGBTQ community.
“I'm scared. I'm totally broken,” he said.
“I think the fear in this town is incredible for the gay community,” he said. “I think people are very scared right now. I can see it in people’s faces.”
Former patient Staci Franklin said she was shocked by the news of the incident.
“What he did is make women want to have children,” she said of Abdallah, who told Abdallah that her clinic helped her conceive her daughter, who is now 16 years old.
Franklin said she and her husband spent hours speculating about a disgruntled patient or an extremist who might have tried to destroy the embryo to “make a statement.”
“If that was their motivation, I'm glad they failed,” she said.
