Pro-lifers seem to have little respect for life. In this case, Tibet Ergul and Chance Brannon, an active duty Marine, were arrested and charged with using an explosive or fire to damage real property during an attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa the last year.
NBC News reports:
Tibet Ergul, 21, of Irvine, and Chance Brannon, 23, of San Juan Capistrano, an active duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, are charged with using an explosive or arson to damage real property affecting the interstate commerce, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central California said in a statement.
A criminal complaint alleges they ignited and threw a Molotov cocktail at the entrance to the clinic early March 13, 2022.
Damages were estimated at $1,050 and appointments for approximately 30 patients had to be rescheduled, the complaint states.
“My office takes this brazen attack that targeted a facility that provides essential health care services to thousands of people in Orange County very seriously,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the statement. “While it is fortunate that no one was physically harmed and that responders were able to prevent the destruction of the clinic, the violent actions of the defendants are completely unacceptable.”
Security videos show the duo wearing hoodies and masks as they approach the Planned Parenthood Clinic around 1:00 a.m. and throw a flaming device at the front door, according to federal prosecutors.
On April 3, a witness called the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, claiming to be able to identify those allegedly involved, according to the complaint. The witness, who said he knew the two men from high school, said Ergul had sent text messages admitting to his involvement, the complaint states.
A day after the fire, the witness said, Ergul texted saying “he wished he could record the burning” and sent a photo of a gloved hand holding a Molotov cocktail, according to the complaint. The photo was taken inside a car the witness believed to be Brannon’s, the complaint states.
Thank goodness the witness has more common sense than the two men. This is not just an attack on a clinic. It’s a growing conservative attack on women’s rights. It is an attack on our bodily autonomy.