Car with explosives crashes into athletic club, sparking deadly fire
Portland police said the scene still had explosives that could detonate. Operators were using robots to remotely disarm them.
Eduardo CuevasA man died after driving a car filled with explosives into a prominent Portland athletic club and detonating some of the devices to spark fiery damage, Oregon police said.
At 2:49 a.m. on May 2, employees of the Multnomah Athletic Club, near downtown Portland, saw a car slowly driving around the facility before it came crashing through the front entrance and into the building, Portland Police Bureau Cmdr. James Crooker said in a news briefing. Employees then called 911 after seeing the car engulfed in flames.
Portland Fire & Rescue officials responding to the scene found the man dead inside the vehicle, but also found evidence of explosive devices, Crooker said.
Jim DeFrain, supervisor of the police explosive devices unit, said officials discovered several incendiary and improvised explosive devices inside the car, some of which the man had detonated. There were also propane tanks inside the vehicle.
The scene still had explosives that could detonate, said DeFrain, who called it "a dirty, dangerous, complex job." Operators were using robots to remotely disarm explosives as the car also remained inside the building.
Officials earlier closed several streets around the Multnomah Athletic Club, and police asked people to avoid the area.
Police Chief Bob Day told reporters the incident was isolated, ruling out domestic terrorism. He said there were no additional threats.
Immediate details on the man or his motive weren’t clear. A police spokesperson declined to respond to emailed questions.
The Multnomah Athletic Club, founded in 1891, bills itself as the largest private athletic and social club in the United States. It has over 21,000 members, according to its website.
In a statement posted online, the athletic club said it would be closed until further notice as law enforcement continued its investigation and facility personnel asssessed damages.
The athletic club is located on the same block as Providence Park, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium home to the Timbers MLS club and the Portland Thorns, the professional women’s team. Both teams were playing away over the weekend. In an email, Collin Romer, a spokesperson for the Timbers, said the stadium was unaffected by the incident.