A 44-year-old man was arrested after driving a car into a group of protesters at a Tesla dealership in Florida. Andrew Dutil, whose vehicle was described as jumping the curb onto the sidewalk, narrowly missed striking multiple pedestrians. The protesters moved out of the way to avoid being hit.
Police received reports of a black Nissan SUV approaching the dealership and almost striking people on the sidewalk. When officers arrived, they found Dutil’s car parked on the curb with several people surrounding it. There were no reported injuries among the protesters.
The incident occurred during a series of attacks on Tesla dealerships across the country since CEO Elon Musk took on his new role in the Trump administration. Similar incidents have been reported at Tesla dealerships in other states, including Colorado Springs, Boston, Memphis, and Milford, Connecticut.
According to the FBI, there have been at least nine incidents targeting Teslas in several states since January, including arson, gunfire, and vandalism. The agency said most of these attacks appear to be carried out by lone offenders using simple tactics such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms.
Another Tesla incident occurred in Fargo, North Dakota, where a small fire was found at an electric vehicle charger station early Friday morning. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which they consider suspicious. The New York City Police Department is also seeking help to identify two men who spray-painted a swastika on a Cybertruck.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-man-arrested-after-driving-car-protesters-tesla/story?id=120094773