One person is confirmed dead after an explosion rocked the American Reproductive Centers building on North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive just before 11 a.m. this morning. Regional news outlets have reported several injuries, but so far that has not been confirmed.
Lt. William Hutchinson with the Palm Springs Police Department confirms it was a bomb in or near a vehicle parked at the building.
Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement, “The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast field extends for blocks with several buildings damaged-some severely. Mills confirmed the FBI is on scene.
“We’ve got a vehicle that appears to have exploded,” a Palm Springs Police Department official said moments ago. “It appears that we have a deceased person. … (E)verything’s in question whether this is an act of terrorism, or what it is.”
About two hours after the explosion, authorities expanded the safety zone, blocking off more parts of the street using SunLine Transit buses.
Matt Spencer, a resident who lives nearby at Sunset Palms apartment complex, ran outside with his dog Tippy as soon as he heard the explosion and reports he saw human remains and what was left of a car outside the building.
Spencer said he saw what looked like human remains in the middle of the road.
“In front of the building [the car] was blown clear across four lanes into the parking lot of [Desert Regional Medical Center],” Spencer said. “I could see the back of the car still on fire and the rims, that was the only thing that distinguishes it as a car.”
He also saw parts of the frame of a car and its suspension, and that it looked “completely disintegrated.”
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