A man drove his car into a group of protesters outside a Tesla dealership in Palm Beach County, Florida, but fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, according to law enforcement.
The protest was part of a series of demonstrations across the U.S. at businesses connected to Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk. These protests were in response to Musk’s collaboration with the Trump administration, which has involved cutting federal funding and reducing the workforce.
Incidents of violence targeting Tesla-related property are becoming more common both in the U.S. and abroad. There have been reports of Cybertrucks being set on fire in Seattle and shots being fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon.
On Saturday, the protest was interrupted when Andrew Dutil drove his car onto the sidewalk where the protesters were gathered, moving at a slow speed. This caused people to quickly move out of the way to avoid being hit, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Dutil was arrested and is facing an assault charge, according to court records. At the time, no attorney representing Dutil was listed in the court documents.
Palm Beach County is also home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, which the president has referred to as the “Center of the Universe” on social media. Trump and Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency, have started dismantling government agencies and programs, along with laying off staff, in an effort to reduce government waste, fraud, and abuse.
