A man in Florida, who reportedly supports Tesla, is accused of driving his vehicle into a crowd of protesters rallying against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. The incident occurred outside a Tesla showroom in Palm Beach County, the president’s home county, on Saturday. The protesters were primarily senior citizens, according to Mark Offerman, a member of the Democratic Progressive Caucus in Palm Beach County, which organized the protest.
The suspect, identified as Andrew Dutil, is facing charges of aggravated assault. He allegedly drove dangerously close to several protesters who were demonstrating against the Palm Beach Tesla showroom due to its association with Musk, a known Trump ally and an informal leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). The showroom’s location was also a point of contention.
Offerman stated that while most of the crowd was able to avoid the vehicle, two elderly women narrowly escaped being hit. The police were immediately alerted to the incident. According to law enforcement, Dutil targeted a group of over 100 protesters around 1 p.m. on Saturday. No injuries were reported. Dutil is said to have driven a black Nissan Pathfinder directly towards the crowd before parking it on a nearby sidewalk, claiming that its brakes and electronics had malfunctioned.
Dutil reportedly told the protesters to “leave the car alone,” as per the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office arrest report. Employees at the showroom stated that Dutil declared his support for Tesla before leaving the premises, as reported by local ABC affiliate WPLG.
In recent times, Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations have allegedly been targeted by individuals expressing their discontent with Musk and his relationship with Trump and DOGE. These attacks have reportedly included fire bombings. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with these incidents, with charges announced last week by Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Department of Justice press release.
The DOJ statement revealed that one of the defendants, allegedly armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle, was arrested after reportedly throwing eight Molotov cocktails at a dealership in Salem, Oregon. Another individual was apprehended in Loveland, Colorado, after allegedly attempting to firebomb multiple Teslas. A third defendant in Charleston, South Carolina, was accused of writing derogatory messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before setting them on fire.
Bondi has labeled these attacks on Tesla as a form of “domestic terrorism” and has pledged to prosecute those involved. Offerman stated that the protesters on Saturday were attempting to peacefully express their dissatisfaction with Musk and the Trump administration.
Dutil is currently being held without bond at the Palm Beach County jail, awaiting his next court appearance in April.