An Irvine man admitted Thursday to firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa and plotting to attack an electrical substation in Orange. He also acknowledged discussing a planned attack at Dodger Stadium during an LGBTQ pride event.
Tibet Ergul, 22, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility and one misdemeanor count of intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility.
“This defendant’s hateful ideology led him down a dark path of plotting to harm others,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a written statement. “The breadth of his and his co-conspirators’ violent plans is chilling. They planned to attack the power grid to start a race war, target Dodger Stadium on Pride Night, and bomb a second reproductive health services clinic. This reminds us of why it is critical that all of us unite against hate in our community.”
Two admitted co-conspirators — Chance Brannon, a 24-year-old Marine from San Juan Capistrano, and Xavier Batten, a 21-year-old Florida resident — previously accepted their own plea deals and like Ergul are now awaiting sentencing.
During the early morning hours of March 12, 2022, Ergul and Brannon — who at the time was an active-duty Marine — ignited a Molotov cocktail and threw it against the front door of the Costa Mesa Planned Parenthood Clinic.
The two masked men then ran away, as a wall next to the clinic door erupted in fire and the flames spread up to the ceiling before firefighters arrived to extinguish the blaze.
No one was injured, but around 30 appointments were canceled when the clinic was forced to close the following morning.
Brannon and Ergul were identified by a tipster after a $25,000 reward for information was offered. The tipster provided the FBI with a text message from Ergul allegedly admitting to his role in the firebombing.
FBI agents during a search of the pair’s digital devices were led to Batten. Brannon and Ergul…
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