Palm Springs bombing accomplice jumped to his death in prison, federal sources tell TMZ
Jesus Reyes
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The man suspected of helping in the Palm Springs bombing jumped to his death in prison, TMZ reports, citing federal sources.
Daniel Park, 32, of Kent, Washington, was pronounced dead Tuesday morning after being found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, the Department of Justice announced.
According to TMZ, Park “stepped up on a table on an upper tier of the facility and jumped … plummeting to the ground floor.”
Authorities have not officially released the cause of death.
Park was accused of helping supply the explosive materials used in the May 17 attack on American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs. Federal officials labeled it an act of domestic terrorism.
In new video obtained by ABC News, dash cam footage also shows Park was stopped and ticketed by the California Highway Patrol in February for speeding in Joshua Tree.
Authorities believe this lines up with their suspected timeline, that Park had visited Guy Edward Bartkus’s Twentynine Palms home in January and February to plan the attack.
He was arrested as he returned to the United States from Poland, from which he was deported. Authorities said he “left the United States to go to Europe” days after the bombing.
Park was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist.
The primary suspect in the bombing, Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of Twentynine Palms, was found dead at the scene. Authorities say Park and Bartkus shared anti-natalist extremist views — a belief system opposing human reproduction — and that Park had been posting such content online since at least 2016.
According to U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli, Park shipped about 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which is “commonly used to construct homemade bombs,” from Seattle to Bartkus’ home in Twentynine Palms and also arranged for another shipment of an additional 90 pounds.
Three days before Park arrived at Bartkus’ house, records from an AI chat app show that Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel, federal prosecutors said.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge in Los Angeles, Akil Davis, said Park was also in possession of an “explosive recipe” similar to the device used in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City federal city bombing.
Essayli said Park “shared Bartkus’ extremist beliefs” and he visited Bartkus’s home in Twentynine Palms for about two weeks in late January and early February, “spending time together running experiments in Bartkus’ garage, where the FBI recovered large quantities of chemical precursors and laboratory equipment after the bombing.”
Bartkus’ garage in Twentynine Palms
During the explosion, at least five people were injured, and the blast caused major damage to the clinic as well as 40 other properties, with at least 8 buildings deemed unsafe to occupy. The bombing caused approximately $12 million in damages.
Thousands of embryos and eggs stored inside the facility were saved due to the quick response of emergency crews.
Officials said local law enforcement had not previously flagged either suspect. Evidence recovered from a phone at the scene showed Bartkus pacing outside the car for over 30 minutes before the explosion and speaking into the phone moments before detonation.
The investigation remains ongoing, and federal officials are asking the public to come forward with any information by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments on this investigation.