Man Believed to Be Bomber Dies in Blast

A man who authorities say may have been trying to plant a bomb in a car outside a Laguna Hills office building was killed Friday morning when the device exploded.

The blast destroyed the vehicle and propelled metal and glass fragments and body parts for hundreds of yards, an Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said.

Apparent target of the bomb was retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Hal W. Vincent, 59, of El Toro, a veteran of 242 combat missions in the Vietnam War. Vincent had driven to the South Pointe II industrial park, parked the car and was in his office at the time of the 8:10 a.m. explosion. The car was owned by Vincent’s mother.

The blast somehow injured no one else although it occurred at the height of the morning rush hour outside a busy commercial center. Afterwards, dozens of workers were evacuated from nearby offices as deputies, concerned that other bombs might be present, searched the surroundings.

Vincent is part-owner of Double “O” Enterprises, which sells National Football League accessories to the Marine Corps, according to Capt. Douglas Storm, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

Storm said the dead man, who he would not identify, had recently been involved in a lawsuit with Vincent over a piece of property in Medford, Ore.

By late Friday deputies did not know how the man obtained the explosives, what type they were, or whether others were involved, Storm said.

Vincent, reached later Friday at his home in El Toro, refused to talk about the incident.

The explosion demolished a yellow 1968, two-door Dodge Dart that Vincent had driven to work. The car was parked in the 23000 block of Peralta Drive outside a two-story office building, which houses more than 40 commercial tenants.

The blast broke car windows and showered nearby areas with pieces of exploded metal, glass and human fragments. Some landed on office rooftops hundreds of yards away, authorities said.

“It just mushroomed the car’s whole rooftop,” said California Highway Patrol Officer George Luce, one of the first police officers to arrive at the scene.

Luce said he found a fist-sized piece of melted metal smoldering in the street, almost 100 yards from the blast.

“Witnesses have said that they did see a man standing outside in front of the car just before it exploded,” Sheriff’s Lt. Bob Rivas said.

Others said the force of the explosion ripped open the car’s roof as if it had been done by a giant can opener.

“It was a big boom. With all the wind Friday, I thought it was something being blown over. But then I heard the sirens,” said Sheri Feinberg, owner of a printing shop that was more than two blocks from the scene.

Arnette Bargabus, one of the evacuees from the South Pointe II building, said she first thought the blast was from a passing jet aircraft.

“It was just like a sonic boom. But my boss, who’s from Brooklyn, said ‘No.’ He said he’s heard that sound before and knew it was a car bomb.”

Continued Working

Bargabus said she and others continued working inside the building until 10:20 a.m., when they were ordered out of the building by authorities.

“They told us to leave the building because they were checking the cars in the parking lot and were going to go in the building with dogs sniffing for bombs. You think they could have told us earlier,” she said.

With dogs in tow, two deputies took hours to conduct a thorough search of the building. Among those evacuated were accountants, accompanied by secretaries carrying notebooks and files. Other tenants, including some doctors, canceled appointments.

Bargabus said she and her computer consulting colleagues were away from their office for three hours.

As bomb squad members patrolled the area and a helicopter hovered overhead, Bargabus added: “I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same pulling into the parking lot again.”

No Devices Found

Lt. Rivas said the evacuation was ordered as a precaution to search for any other explosive devices. No other devices were found.

Vincent, who flew 242 combat missions during the Vietnam War in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, was formerly chief of staff of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered at El Toro, said Gunnery Sgt. Kathy Cabot, a base spokeswoman.

Vincent was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1950 and retired in 1981. He was the first Marine pilot to fly faster than twice the speed of sound.

Vincent retired as fleet deputy commander for the Marine Corps forces in the Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, Va.

Deputies declined Friday to say whether there are any connection between Friday’s bombing and other recent incidents in Orange County involving pipe bombs over the past 13 months.

The most recent incident was Monday, also in the south county. No one was hurt, but a car was damaged when a pipe bomb exploded in the driveway of a home at about 1:25 a.m.

Times staff writers Robert Schwartz and Steve Emmons contributed to this story.