Man drives car into protesters outside a Tesla dealership, nobody hurt,
sheriff says
[March 24, 2025]
By JESSE BEDAYN
A man drove
his car into protesters outside a Tesla dealership in Palm Beach County,
Florida, but did not injure any of those who had gathered to demonstrate
against billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump over the
weekend, according to law enforcement. |
A Tesla level 3 charging station is seen on March 19, 2025, in
Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) |
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The planned protest was one of a slew across the U.S. at
businesses associated with Tesla, the company led by Musk, in
response to the billionaire's work with the Trump administration
in cutting federal funding and the workforce.
Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s
electric-car company are cropping up across the U.S. and
overseas. Several more violent incidents include Cybertrucks
being set on fire in Seattle and shots fired at a Tesla
dealership in Oregon.
The protest on Saturday was interrupted when Andrew Dutil drove
his vehicle onto the sidewalk full of protesters at a slow
speed, forcing people to scramble out of the way to avoid the
being hit, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Dutil was arrested and faces an assault charge, according to
court records. An attorney who could speak on Dutil's behalf
wasn't immediately listed in court records.
Palm Beach County is also home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort,
which the president has called the “Center of the Universe” on
social media. Trump and Musk — through the Department of
Government Efficiency — have begun dismantling government
agencies and programs and laying off staff in the name of
culling government waste, fraud and abuse. ___
Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for
America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a
nonprofit national service program that places journalists in
local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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