Los Angeles, California – Daniel Park, a suspect charged earlier this month in connection with the bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, has died while in federal custody, according to a statement released by the Bureau of Prisons on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old from Seattle was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Prison employees attempted life-saving measures, and emergency medical services transported Park to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of death is not yet clear, and both the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service have been notified. No other inmates or prison staff were injured, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed.
Park’s Arrest and Charges
Park, a U.S. citizen, was transferred to the Los Angeles detention center on June 13, following his indictment for the malicious destruction of property in connection with the bombing.
Earlier in June, he was apprehended in Poland after flying to Warsaw just days after the bombing outside the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic on May 17.
Park is accused of shipping approximately 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a substance commonly used to make homemade explosives, to the bomber, Guy Bartkus, who tragically died in the blast.
Alleged Motivation and Ideology
At a press briefing following the bombing, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, described the attack as an “intentional act of terrorism.” Prosecutors have said that both Park and Bartkus shared nihilist beliefs.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Park, the bombing was driven by his anti-natalism and pro-mortalism ideology—beliefs that support the idea that individuals should not be born without their consent and that non-existence is preferable to existence.
Impact of the Bombing
While the fertility clinic was significantly damaged, officials confirmed that no embryos were lost in the explosion. The clinic resumed operations in a temporary location while the investigation into the bombing continued.