The father of the 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 NBC affiliate KMIR of Palm Springs 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. Saturday. He was driving a 2010 silver Ford Fusion.
The street is home to several medical facilities, including the fertility clinic, American Reproductive Centers. The center said on Facebook 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," the clinic said.
The suspect was killed in the blast, and four other people with injuries were treated and released from the hospital.
The attack appears to have been linked to anti-natalist ideology, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident have told NBC News. The ideology refers to the belief that no one should have children.
Bartkus told KMIR 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 they allege the suspect man, including an audio recording that they say supports anti-natalist ideology. They are also looking into a YouTube account, as well as an online forum post this month in which the person contemplated suicide using an explosive device, sources have 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. A witness told KMIR that it "felt like an earthquake."
"Everything just shattered," another witness told the 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."
A 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 KMIR. "My embryos were there."
CORRECTION (May 19, 2025, 12:31 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated who conducted the interview. It was KMIR, not Noticias Telemundo.
