1 killed in car bombing at Palm Springs, California fertility clinic

A car bomb has exploded outside a fertility clinic near Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California, killing 1 person and injuring at least 5 others, according to witnesses and local officials. A possible motive was not immediately known.

The incident happened at 10:50 a.m. on Saturday when a car exploded in the parking lot of American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic and IVF lab at 1199 N Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. The blast was heard across the region.

“The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast field extends for blocks with several buildings damaged, some severely,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement. “There has been one fatality, the person’s identity is not known.”

Footage from the scene showed that the back of building was heavily damaged, with debris scattered across the road in front of the building. Nearby buildings were also damaged, with multiple windows in the area blown out.

In addition to one fatality, at least five people were taken to hospital for treatment.

The motive for Saturday’s attack was not immediately known and police have yet to confirm whether the deceased is also the person who was responsible. “Everything is in question, whether this is an act of terrorism,” Lt. William Hutchinson, of the Palm Springs Police Department, told reporters.

Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the fertility clinic, said all of his staff were safe and accounted for. “I really have no clue what happened,” he told the Associated Press. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”

The IVF lab and all of the stored embryos are safe, he said.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said she was being briefed on the explosion. “We are working to learn more, but let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America,” she said. “Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable.”

A car was on fire, I was driving by and took this. I can’t confirm the cause of the explosion (whether the explosion set the car on fire or vice versa) pic.twitter.com/0N8WyRLWeD

— malana (@meowbug) May 17, 2025