An Illinois man has been arrested and charged with setting fire to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Peoria on Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint.
Tyler W. Massengill, 32, pulled up in an old white pickup truck with red doors around 11:20pm on January 15, the complaint alleges. The surveillance footage shows a man disguised in a hooded coat walk up to the clinic, light a fire on one side of a “laundry detergent-sized bottle,” smash a window, and throw the bottle into the building. The man then fled the scene on foot. (RELATED: The March For Life Has Never Had To Struggle For Relevance, Until Now)
Massengill contacted the Peoria Police Department January 24, stating he saw his truck in video footage of the incident on television. While at first denying that he started the fire, Massengill later admitted to police he had broken the window and thrown the burning bottle into the clinic, per the complaint. He stated that three years earlier a girlfriend had aborted her pregnancy, and that seeing the clinic reminded him of the abortion.
Massengill told police it would be “all worth it”if his actions caused “a little delay” in the operation of the Planned Parenthood clinic.
Illinois Man Charged with Setting Fire to Planned Parenthoodhttps://t.co/pNqkKmbU6E
— DOJ Civil Rights (@CivilRights) January 25, 2023
If convicted, Massengill faces a sentence of at least 5 years, and as many as 40 years in prison. He also faces a possible fine of $250,000.