The father of a 25-year-old man suspected of a car bombing attack outside a California fertility clinic said he feels “terrible” and is “heartbroken” over the incident.
Richard Bartkus told Noticias Telemundo that he had always known his son, Guy Edward Bartkus, to have a “good heart” and believes he was “brainwashed.” The last time he saw or talked to his son was over a decade ago, he said, after Guy moved to Twentynine Palms to live with his mother.
“It’s hard for me to believe that this was him,” Bartkus said.
Authorities said they believe Guy Edward Bartkus detonated the explosive outside 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive around 11 a.m. on Saturday. He was driving a 2010 silver Ford Fusion.
The street is home to several medical facilities, including the fertility clinic American Reproductive Centers (ARC). The center said in a Facebook post that its lab, including all eggs and embryos, was not damaged in the explosion.
“We are heavily conducting a complete safety inspection and have confirmed that our operations and sensitive medical areas were not impacted by the blast,” ARC said.
The suspect was killed in the blast, and four others were treated and released from the hospital after suffering injuries.
The attack appears to have been linked to anti-natalist ideology, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident previously told NBC News. The ideology refers to the belief that no one should have children.
Bartkus told the news station that he had not known his son to believe in anything like that.
“I’ve never even heard him talk about something like that before. I haven’t seen him in 12 years. The last time I saw him, he was a good kid. He liked hiking, he liked to go mine hunting, he liked to go rock hunting, he liked his computer, he liked Xbox, kid things,” he said.
Getting emotional, Bartkus added, “He had a good heart. Something changed in him.”
Investigators have said they are looking into social media posts allegedly made by the suspect, including an audio recording which they say supports anti-natalist ideology. They are also looking into a YouTube account, as well as an online forum post made earlier this month in which the person contemplated suicide using an explosive device, sources previously told NBC News.
It’s believed the suspect was dealing with depression and personal relationship issues, according to law enforcement officials close to the investigation. Tactical officers were seen at a residence in Twentynine Palms after the attack, which the FBI deemed an act of terrorism.
The blast damaged multiple businesses. One witness told NBC Palm Springs that it “felt like an earthquake.”
“Everything just shattered,” another witness told the news station. “So we weren’t sure what happened, and we didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and we just saw a lot of black smoke.”
One Coachella Valley couple, Simone and Sophie, said they are clients of American Reproductive Centers and used the clinic to help them conceive their newborn son.
“It was terrifying,” Sophie told NBC Palm Springs. “My embryos were there.”
