FBI arrests 2 men, including active-duty Marine, in 2022 firebombing of Planned Parenthood

Wednesday, June 14, 2023
IRVINE, Calif. -- Two men, including an active-duty U.S. Marine, were arrested on suspicion of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Planned Parenthood in Costa Mesa, California.

Tibet Ergul, 21, and 23-year-old Chance Brannon, a Marine stationed out of Camp Pendelton, were arrested on federal charges Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Both men were taken into custody during an FBI raid at an apartment complex in Irvine.

FBI personnel are seen in a parking lot in Irvine on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.



NOTE: The video in the media player is from a previous report.

A criminal complaint alleges that Ergul and Brannon attacked the clinic on March 13, 2022 by throwing the Molotov cocktail at the location's entrance.

The complaint also alleges that Ergul texted an acquaintance and took credit for the fire the day after, saying that he wished he "could've recorded the combustion." It also states that he sent a photo of his gloved hand holding the explosive inside Brannon's car.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, and the building only sustained minor damage.

DEVELOPING: More details will be added to this report as they become available.

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