May 20, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Content warning: this article describes a suicide
In the early hours of May 2, a vehicle rigged with explosives drove through the lobby of the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, causing significant damage. Security footage shows the Nissan Rogue being driven around the first floor by Bruce Valentine Whitman before he detonated the explosives within the vehicle and succumbed to the injuries he sustained.
Reports claim that Whitman was a disgruntled employee who worked for the athletic club from 2012 to 2019 as a bartender before he was fired for conduct reasons that haven’t been disclosed publicly. In 2021, the Portland Police Bureau Health Unit received a report that Whitman was armed and displaying alarming behavior. Whitman would receive a stalking order and continued to exhibit concerning behavior over the next year, continually turning down mental health services that were offered. In June 2022, Whitman began threatening members of the athletic club both outside of the facility and at their homes, leading to him being placed on an involuntary hold for evaluation and mental health treatment as well as having his firearm confiscated for a year.
Charges were not filed against Whitman and he was released from the hold within two weeks. In February of this year, Whitman attempted suicide, which returned him to the hospital, where he would cooperate with the removal of his firearms. Upon his release, he and his family were given mental health resources. Reports from his mother as recently as May 1 suggest that everything seemed normal with Whitman, although shortly thereafter on April 29, he would begin purchasing the explosive devices that he would later use in the attack. The attack was then carried out just a day later.
After the incident, crews worked for hours to make sure that all explosive threats were neutralized. The athletic club sits right next to Providence Park, where both the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns play their home matches and the club can be seen from throughout the stadium. In fact, it is so close that depending on the part of the building, one could even watch a match as it takes place with a relatively unobstructed view. Luckily, both teams had matches away from Portland that weekend, with the Timbers facing off against Real Salt Lake in Utah and the Thorns traveling to Bridgeview, Illinois, in a match against the Chicago Red Stars. It was initially thought that the attack may have been an assault on the two teams and their fans or that it was politically motivated, however, this does not appear to be the case and it is believed to have been an isolated incident.
On May 13, the athletic club reopened for the first time since the attack and will be continuing to do so in phases. As of recent reporting, gyms, courts, child care and one of the pools in the facility are currently operational. Authorities who tended to the situation have said that the damage could’ve been far worse and that it is a stroke of luck that no one else was injured. Prior to its reopening, members of the athletic club went to Portland Fire & Rescue to personally thank the crews for their swift action and bravery.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
