PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL - Authorities with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBCSO) confirmed that a man has been arrested after purposely driving a car into a group of protesters at a Tesla dealership.
According to ABC News, police said that 44-year-old Andrew Dutil "drove his vehicle, jumping the curb onto the sidewalk at a slow rate of speed into a crowd of protesters." Police said they received "numerous calls" regarding a black Nissan SUV that was driving "up on a curb in front of the Tesla dealership almost striking multiple pedestrians."
Upon arriving on scene, police said Dutil's car was parked on the curb in front of the dealership with multiple people surrounding it. The protesters moved out of the way to avoid being hit by Dutil's vehicle and police stated that there were no injuries reported. Dutil was arrested and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail without further incident. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
Karen Holland, who was participating in the protest, told police that Dutil's vehicle "drove by earlier in the day and was yelling at all of the protesters." When Dutil returned and started driving up on the urb toward protesters, Holland said she was "in fear for her life and believed she was going to get struck by the vehicle."
The incident, which happened on Friday, March 21st, comes as many other Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations have been the target of vandalism, arson attacks, and protests. Additional protests occurred at Tesla dealerships in Colorado Springs, Boston, Memphis, and Milford, Connecticut. In Boston, demonstrators were seen holding signs that read, "This ends here," and "Recall Elon."
On Friday, the FBI said incidents targeting Teslas have been recorded in at least nine states since January, including arson, gunfire, and graffiti. The FBI said in a statement, "These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night. Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes."
NBC News reported that while many protests have been peaceful, at least 80 cases of vandalism and damaged affecting Tesla vehicles and charging stations have been reported. At least 10 dealerships have been affected.
On his Facebook account, Dutil reportedly shared content supporting President Donald Trump, including a video depicting Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a "The Dukes of Hazzard" parody video as "The Dukes of MAGA." He also shared a considerable amount of veteran content and wears a military uniform in his profile picture.
In 2022, Dutil seemed to share posts criticizing electric cars, writing in one post: "Screw electric vehicles. If you drive one, welcome to 1995 where the technology of your car is from. More coal equals more electricity needed to electric vehicles."
According to ABC News, police said that 44-year-old Andrew Dutil "drove his vehicle, jumping the curb onto the sidewalk at a slow rate of speed into a crowd of protesters." Police said they received "numerous calls" regarding a black Nissan SUV that was driving "up on a curb in front of the Tesla dealership almost striking multiple pedestrians."
Upon arriving on scene, police said Dutil's car was parked on the curb in front of the dealership with multiple people surrounding it. The protesters moved out of the way to avoid being hit by Dutil's vehicle and police stated that there were no injuries reported. Dutil was arrested and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail without further incident. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
Karen Holland, who was participating in the protest, told police that Dutil's vehicle "drove by earlier in the day and was yelling at all of the protesters." When Dutil returned and started driving up on the urb toward protesters, Holland said she was "in fear for her life and believed she was going to get struck by the vehicle."
The incident, which happened on Friday, March 21st, comes as many other Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations have been the target of vandalism, arson attacks, and protests. Additional protests occurred at Tesla dealerships in Colorado Springs, Boston, Memphis, and Milford, Connecticut. In Boston, demonstrators were seen holding signs that read, "This ends here," and "Recall Elon."
On Friday, the FBI said incidents targeting Teslas have been recorded in at least nine states since January, including arson, gunfire, and graffiti. The FBI said in a statement, "These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night. Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes."
NBC News reported that while many protests have been peaceful, at least 80 cases of vandalism and damaged affecting Tesla vehicles and charging stations have been reported. At least 10 dealerships have been affected.
On his Facebook account, Dutil reportedly shared content supporting President Donald Trump, including a video depicting Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a "The Dukes of Hazzard" parody video as "The Dukes of MAGA." He also shared a considerable amount of veteran content and wears a military uniform in his profile picture.
In 2022, Dutil seemed to share posts criticizing electric cars, writing in one post: "Screw electric vehicles. If you drive one, welcome to 1995 where the technology of your car is from. More coal equals more electricity needed to electric vehicles."
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Comments
1 day ago | Comment by: Paul
The ingrates! Protestors mischaracterized the man's efforts to alert them to the dangers of continued streetwalking. Mr. Dutil was likely demonstrating how a drunk driver could careen off of a driving surface and strike the protesters, creating grievous injuries or death.
8 hours ago | Comment by: thomas
He did what we all want to do. Good job