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A disgruntled former employee of the Multnomah Athletic Club drove a car packed with explosives into the facility Saturday morning, killing one person and partially destroying the exclusive club in downtown Portland, Ore.
According to The Oregonian, the former employee rented a black Nissan Rogue on Friday. On Saturday morning, he drove the car into the building and detonated the devices, which are believed to have been a mix of propane tanks and pipe bombs.
Jim DeFrain, who heads the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit for the police bureau, said at a Saturday afternoon press conference that not all of the device detonated.
The driver, 48-year-old Bruce Valentine Whitman, died in the blast. He had worked as a bartender at the club, and his family reported he had a history of mental illness.
“With mental illness, it’s really a tough thing to understand, and I don’t really understand,” Rita Lenzer, Whitman’s mother, told OPB during a somber interview Sunday. “I don’t even know that he remembers doing some things, but a part of him has to plan and think of this. There’s so much hate there.”
Authorities said 2 inches of water flooded the first floor entryway after firefighters worked to douse the flames from the explosives. It was also charred by burn marks from the devices the driver was able to ignite, Police Commander Crooker said.
Those un-denonated devices proved challenging for Portland’s bomb squad, which was joined by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The MAC will remain closed for at least a week for repairs.
“Our immediate priority is ensuring the club is safe and ready to welcome you back,” MAC staff said in a statement posted to social media Sunday afternoon. “That work is now in motion, but it will take some time.
