A Florida man was recently accused of conducting multiple burnouts on an LGBT-designed intersection with his truck and has surrendered to authorities following a weeks-long investigation.
On Feb. 4, 2024, 19-year-old Dylan Brewer was seen on surveillance footage driving his pickup truck toward the intersection that has LGBT-inspired colors on it, located in Delray Beach, Florida.
Footage shows that as the truck left the area, two tire marks were across the LGBT logo.
The Delray Beach Police Department released a statement on the matter, accusing Brewer of “intentionally” doing burnouts on the LGBT pride crosswalk with his truck.
“Witnesses reported that Brewer was observed intentionally performing multiple burnouts with his vehicle over the LGBTQ pride crosswalk,” the department said. “The reckless action caused significant damage to the streetscape painting, which serves as a symbol of unity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ community.”
Authorities obtained several reports documenting Brewer’s “destructive acts” and testimony from witnesses, who provided cellphone footage of the burnouts, according to the New York Post.
On Feb. 12, 2024, Brewer turned himself in to law enforcement and was charged with felony criminal mischief, damage to property over $1,000 and misdemeanor reckless driving.
Brewer was released from jail on a $5,250 bond on Feb. 13, 2024.
I AM CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONER DYLAN BREWER
GOV. DESANTIS MUST GRANT AN IMMEDIATE PARDON FOR THE FAKE CRIME OF DRIVING OVER AN LGBTQ FLAG (WHICH SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED TO BE PLACED THERE) https://t.co/UdvsOheWo5 pic.twitter.com/6CpIrWI6f1
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) February 13, 2024
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) regarded Brewer’s actions as a hate crime.
Brewer is not the first individual to target the LGBT mural in the Delray Beach intersection. Following its release in June 2021, a man named Alexander Jerich used his pickup truck to burn tire marks across the street.
Jerich was initially arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless driving and evidence of prejudice. The latter charge was dropped after he recently finished his probation sentence.
In 2022, a similar incident occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, where a man spray-painted an intersection with an LGBT-designed crosswalk.
In 2020, during the infamous Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, a mural representing the organization that was painted outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, was vandalized several times by a heroic Black woman named Beverly Beatty Williams who recorded herself doing it.
