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Shocking video shows a car packed with explosives being driven into a bar by a former bartender who developed a “violent obsession” after being fired several years ago
Bruce Whitman, 45, was the driver who rammed a vehicle full of propane tanks and pipe bombs into the Oregon sports club just before 3 a.m. Saturday, triggering a fiery blast that killed him instantly, his mother confirmed to The Oregonian.
Bizarre security footage shows the terrifying moment the black Nissan Rogue pulls up to the entrance of Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) before crashing through the glass and into the lobby.
The video cuts just before the vehicle detonated, leaving the lobby of the building in ruins and causing millions of dollars worth of damage, but thankfully no other injuries.
Whitman is believed to have rented the car on Friday, hours before the attack.
His mother confirmed that she had texted her son, a former bartender at the club, on Friday morning.
“And then I didn’t hear from him until I got a call from the detective the next morning,” Rita Lenzer told The Oregonian.
She said her son hadn’t appeared to struggle with mental illness growing up, but was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in February.
Whitman’s firing from MAC several years ago appeared to send him into a downward spiral, his mom admitted.
“If it was brought up, you could tell, you know, it made him angry,” she said.
His “violent obsession” manifested in him turning up at the homes of club members and making threats, while also being spotted outside the center confronting people, court documents seen by The Oregonian show.
The circumstances behind Whitman’s firing from MAC have not been made public.
At one point, Whitman’s behavior was so concerning that a group of 10 neighbors wrote to his family requesting they get him mental health treatment, court documents show.
In February, his mother took him to a Portland behavioral health facility after a suicide attempt, where he also surrendered two guns, court records show.
This was Whitman’s second “red flag” order, allowing police and household members to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms due to concerns about potential violence, after an early 2022 incident.
“They evaluated him and released him. He showed signs of just being a perfectly normal person,” Lenzer said, adding how he was planning to go to therapy before Saturday’s shocking incident.
Despite the scale of the damage, no one else was injured in the attack at MAC, which is one of the largest private athletic and social clubs in the US.
The center, which has more than 21,000 members, has been closed indefinitely for repairs, according to a statement from management.
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