A homemade bomb was tossed into an El Monte church known for its anti-LGBTQ teachings
and now the FBI and local investigators are trying to figure out who is responsible.
Sometimes things happen and can happen anywhere.
Angel Payan's machinery shops just across the street from the First Works Baptist
Church side of this morning's explosion.
Vulgar graffiti is now sprawled across the walls.
He won't be doing business today.
Somebody decided they wanted to do something about it.
Payan says the church pastor, Bruce Mejia, has been the target of protests recently
over his perceived teachings against the LGBTQ community.
Everything that I do is within these doors to my congregation.
I preach it on YouTube and if someone doesn't like what I'm preaching, they can just turn it off.
Pastor Mejia says the bombing is clearly a hate crime.
We've been here for three years and not once have we ever incited violence towards anybody.
There's never been a crime attached to my preaching.
Right now, there is no indication the bombing is linked to protesters or a recent online arson threat.
The group that organized the protest, Keep A Monte Friendly, issued a statement ahead
of a pride march tomorrow saying that march is now canceled out of a quote, abundance of caution.
As for the pastor, he says the violence won't stop him from preaching what he believes.
I'm more fearful of disobeying God and preaching his word than any individual in this world.
I'm willing to lose everything to preach God's word.
No one was injured in the explosion.
The FBI has now joined in that investigation.