Latest on the car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - There are chilling new details on the extremist beliefs on the man suspected of bombing a fertility clinic in Palm Springs.
The FBI officially identified the suspect as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus through DNA, and says he died when his car exploded outside the American Reproductive Centers at around 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
"It was one of the largest bombings, according to the FBI that we've had in California, and it's certainly a huge concern that somebody would take out their personal grievances in a way that would harm other people," said Chief Andy Mills with the Palm Springs Police Department.
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident said he appears to have been driven by an anti-natalist ideology, a belief that no one should have children.
Bartkus' online presence now under intense scrutiny, according to the FBI, along with a 30-minute audio recording with what investigators say is part of a possible manifesto, and an attempted livestream of the blast.
His father, Richard Bartkus, said he hadn't seen his son in more than a decade.
"Something changed in him [in] the last year or so...People change," Bartkus shared.
But despite the chaos, the clinic's lead doctor says eggs, embryos and reproductive material were saved.
Deputy Fire Chief Greg Lyle and an FBI agent entered the surgical center in the aftermath as they were the first people to go inside to try and salvage what they could.
"I was just looking at a bunch of medical equipment, and I knew I just needed to get power back on," Chief Lyle detailed.
The team was restoring electricity, which powered the incubators and tanks storing eggs and embryos, and later retrieved patients critical medical records.
"I'm super proud of everybody and the team effort," Lyle spoke.
The clinic's doctor told NBC News they are operating, but at different location. The doctor also says thousands of embryos were saved and are still in good condition after the doctor checked on them Monday.
In addition, an NBC affiliate in Palm Springs spoke with a resident who found a potential bomb component near the blast site, and says the resident later turned it over to the authorities.
