Planned Parenthood Facility In California Attacked By Arsonist

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Investigators are looking for a masked assailant believed to have carried out an arson attack Wednesday night at a Planned Parenthood facility in Southern California.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Cpt. John Reilly said someone wearing a mask, dark hoodie, and armed with a rock, broke a window at the Planned Parenthood facility at about 11:30 p.m. The assailant then threw an accelerant, likely gasoline, inside the building and started a fire.

Much of the fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system, resulting in mostly water damage to the office. The masked person is believed to have acted alone and was captured on surveillance footage, Reilly said.

About 30 days before Wednesday's attack, someone threw a rock at the same Planned Parenthood building at night, causing little to moderate damage, Reilly said. No one was hurt in either attack.

“There’s no evidence to suggest they’re connected,” Reilly said.

There’s only one Planned Parenthood facility in the Ventura County sheriff's jurisdiction, where patrols in the area have increased. Another office in Ventura employs their own security.

Planned Parenthood has come under fire recently after hidden videos were released this summer by an anti-abortion group. The highly edited footage accused Planned Parenthood of illegally harvesting and selling tissue from aborted fetuses, something the organization has strongly denied.

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards defended the organization’s work and finances at a Congressional hearing. The hidden videos dominated much of the discussion.

Jenna Tosh — the chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties — said in a statement said they were working to assess and repair the damage in order to reopen as quickly as possible.

“These acts of violence are unacceptable and they will not be successful,” Tosh said.

Tosh said the Thousand Oaks Health Center provides health care to more than 7,000 patients. Most of the services are “lifesaving preventive care like cancer screenings, birth control, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.”

LINK: For The First Time, Planned Parenthood Defends Itself To Congress

LINK: The Real Story Behind That Video Of An Abortion Doctor Discussing Harvesting Organs

LINK: Planned Parenthood: Activists Committed “Fraud” By Heavily Editing Sting Videos

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