SANTA ANA, Calif. — A U.S. Marine and a suspected accomplice accused of using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa were arrested on Wednesday, June 14, and are facing federal charges.
Chance Brannon, a 23-year-old San Juan Capistrano man and active-duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, and Tibet Ergul, a 21-year-old Irvine man, are suspected of carrying out what federal officials described as a “brazen” attack during the early morning hours of March 12, 2022.
Each man is charged with using an explosive or fire to damage real property affecting interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Donald Alway, an assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in a statement that the two men committed a “depraved act of launching an improvised explosive device into a public facility,” while U. S. Attorney Martin Estrada called it a “brazen attack that targeted a facility that provides critical healthcare services to thousands of people in Orange County.”
