Whitman worked at the MAC for about seven years before being fired in 2019. He first drew the attention of the police Behavioral Health Unit about two years later.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Bruce Whitman, the man who carried out a car bombing at the Multnomah Athletic Club on Saturday morning, had a long history of concerning interactions with neighbors and club personnel, as well as years of interactions with the Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Unit, casting a spotlight on the successes and limitations of Oregon’s mental health treatment systems and civil commitment process.
Much of that history has come to light in the days since the bombing. The following timeline details information that has been made available though court records, police records, interviews with members of Whitman’s family, statements from the Multnomah Athletic Club and a Monday afternoon news conference with PPB officials:
2012: Bruce Whitman begins working as a bartender at the Multnomah Athletic Club.
March 2015: Whitman comes forward as the person who released several dyed-pink chickens in a Portland park. In an interview at the time, he describes the incident as a prank intended to “make people smile.”
2019: Whitman is fired from his job at the MAC due to unspecified concerns about his conduct while he worked there.
January 2021: Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) first interacts with Whitman after neighbors report that he has displayed “alarming behavior” and has a firearm. Police seek a stalking order and a firearm confiscation order; a judge grants the former but not the latter.
2021 and the first half of 2022: BHU receives reports of multiple incidents involving Whitman, including protesting outside the MAC and harassing community members. BHU makes outreach efforts to connect Whitman with mental health services and works with his family, neighbors and MAC members to try to address his behavior. Whitman agrees to speak with police on a few occasions, but does not accept referrals. His behavior during this period is concerning but does not rise to a criminal level.
June 2022: Whitman’s behavior escalates to include threatening MAC members outside the club and their homes, which meets the threshold for police to have him involuntarily held on a temporary basis for evaluation and mental health treatment. Police also work with Whitman’s family and obtain an Extreme Risk Protection Order under Oregon’s “red flag law,” allowing them to confiscate Whitman’s firearm. The order lasts for one year.
BHU and the District Attorney’s office discuss legal remedies, but ultimately opt not to file charges because the case appears to call more for an attempted civil commitment approach. However, Whitman does not meet the threshold for commitment and is released from the hospital after about two weeks.
February 2026: Whitman is again detained and hospitalized for both physical and mental health issues following a suicide attempt. Before the attempt, he sends family members a manifesto that his cousin later describes as incoherent and delusional.
February 18, 2026: Police obtain another Extreme Risk Protection Order for Whitman and present it to him at the hospital. Police records show Whitman acknowledged that police were taking the gun he had used to try to commit suicide earlier that month and that he voluntarily signed the forms, and police later confirmed a firearm transfer.
February 2026: Whitman again does not qualify for civil commitment and is released from the hospital about 2-3 weeks after being admitted and is put in touch with a county mental health team. His family and friends are also given instructions about various thresholds to watch for in his behavior and when to call BHU or 911.
April 27: Whitman has dinner with his mother, who later reports that there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.
Week of April 26, 2026: At some point during the week, Whitman repeats his 2015 stunt and releases dyed-pink chickens at the Keller Fountain.
April 29, 2026: Whitman begins buying explosives components, according to receipts later recovered by police at his home.
May 1, 2026: Whitman speaks by phone with his mother; she again later reports there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.
May 2, 2026: Whitman drives his explosives-laden vehicle into the MAC shortly before 3 a.m. and dies in the bombing. Police later execute a search warrant at Whitman’s residence and find evidence of him obtaining explosives supplies. They do not find any kind of manifesto or suicide note.