A 19-year-old man who burned out his truck over the Pride intersection in downtown Delray Beach was arrested Feb. 12.
Dylan Brewer of Clearwater was caught by city cameras and onlookers’ cell phones as he drove his black truck over the intersection and appeared to intentionally burn out his tires over the rainbow design. On the video, a person can be heard saying, “Oh my God, oh my God,” as Brewer drives away, a flag flying from the bed of his truck.
He turned himself in to the Delray Beach Police Monday morning and was charged with criminal mischief and a moving traffic violation. Police said that Brewer did not provide a statement and that “significant damage” was done to the intersection.
“Law enforcement actively worked the case for more than a week,” the police department said in a media release. “We received multiple reports from concerned citizens who witnessed Brewer engaging in these destructive acts. Several witnesses provided smartphone video of the crime."
This is the second time that someone has burned out their truck over the intersection. Just days after it was dedicated in 2021, Alexander Jerich did the same while participating in a birthday rally for former President Donald Trump. A video of the act was posted to Facebook, and according to his arrest report, a fellow driver yelled “tear up that gay intersection.”
After two years of court appearances, he was given probation after writing a report on each of the 49 victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. Judge Scott Suskauer ended Jerich’s probation early in December.
“Defacement of the memorial to the LGBTQ+ community should be considered a hate crime,” said Rand Hoch, the president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. “However, local State Attorney David Aronberg previously determined that since the intersection is owned by a municipality and not an individual, Florida’s hate crime statute does not apply.”