June 15 (UPI) — Two men were arrested in California on Wednesday, including an active-duty Marine, and charged in the firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Orange County.
Chance Brannon, a 23-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton on the Pacific Coast, and 21-year-old Tibet Ergul are accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into a clinic in Costa Mesa in March 2022.
Brannon and Ergul face a maximum 20-year sentence in federal prison for using an explosive or fire to damage real property affecting interstate commerce.
The Justice Department reports obtaining security footage of two men in hooded sweatshirts and face masks lighting and throwing the incendiary device at the front door of the building at about 1 a.m.
The fire erupted and spread up a nearby wall to the ceiling. There were no injuries.
“The depraved act of launching an improvised explosive device into a public facility put lives at risk and will not be tolerated,” Donald Alway, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement. “The joint investigation among local and federal law enforcement led to today’s arrests, and we will continue to work collaboratively with our partners to hold accountable those who deliberately endanger the community.”
The attack led to the clinic closing for a morning and about 30 appointments being canceled.
The Costa Mesa Police and Fire departments responded to the blaze. Evidence also was collected from the glass container and other materials that contained gasoline.
Ergul, a resident of Irvine, and Brannon, a resident of San Juan Capistrano, were scheduled to appear in federal court in Santa Ana on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
