Florida man arrested after driving car into protesters at Tesla dealership: Police
A Florida man was arrested after driving a car into a group of protesters at a Tesla dealership, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The suspect, 44-year-old Andrew Dutil, "drove his vehicle, jumping the curb onto the sidewalk at a slow rate of speed into a crowd of protestors" on Saturday, police said in a statement.
Police received "numerous calls" regarding a black Nissan SUV driving "up on a curb in front of the Tesla dealerships almost striking multiple pedestrians," according to police.
The protesters moved out of the way to avoid being struck by Dutil's vehicle, police said.
When police arrived on the scene, Dutil's car was parked on the curb in front of the dealership with multiple people surrounding it, authorities said.
Dutil was arrested and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail "without incident," police said.
There were no reported injuries among the protesters, police said.
Karen Holland, who was participating in the peaceful protest, told police that Dutil's vehicle "drove by earlier in the day and was yelling at all of the protestors," officials said.
When Dutil returned and started driving up on the curb toward protesters, Holland said she was "in fear for her life and believed she was going to get struck by the vehicle," police said.
Dutil was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, police said.
The incident Friday comes as many Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations have suffered vandalism, arson attacks and protests since CEO Elon Musk began his role with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Additional protests occurred at Tesla dealerships in Colorado Springs, Boston, Memphis and Milford, Connecticut, over the weekend. In Boston, demonstrators were seen holding signs that read, "This ends here," and "Recall Elon."
In a public announcement on Friday, the FBI said incidents targeting Teslas have been recorded in at least nine states since January, including arson, gunfire and graffiti.
"These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night," the FBI said. "Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes."
Another recent Tesla incident occurred in Fargo, North Dakota, where fire crews found a "small fire in wood chips at the base of the electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot" early Friday morning, according to the Fargo Fire Department.
Officials said the fire is considered "suspicious" and the cause is under investigation. It is unclear whether the fire damaged the chargers, authorities said.
The New York City Police Department is also asking for the public's help in identifying two men who spray-painted a swastika on a Cybertruck on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
