Former Marine pleads guilty to firebombing Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Marine pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to firebombing a Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022, prosecutors said.

Chance Brannon, 24, also said he made plans for additional attacks on a second Planned Parenthood clinic, a Southern California Edison substation and an LGBTQ pride night celebration at Dodger Stadium, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Brannon, of San Juan Capistrano, California, pleaded guilty to four felony counts, including malicious destruction of property by fire and explosives and intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility, the Orange County Register reported.

He was an active-duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time of the bombing at the clinic in Costa Mesa on March 13, 2022. Surveillance footage showed Brannon and another person throwing a Molotov cocktail at the front door of the medical facility.

Brannon conspired with two others to use an explosive device to destroy a commercial property, according to his plea agreement.

Brannon could face decades in prison when he is sentenced in April.

His co-defendants, Tibet Ergul and Xavier Batten, have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. They are scheduled for trial in March.