A Florida man, Dylan Brewer, 19, has been accused of intentionally vandalizing an LGBTQ pride-painted intersection by performing multiple burnouts with his truck. The incident occurred on February 4 at the intersection of NE 2nd Avenue in Delray Beach. Surveillance footage captured Brewer in his lifted pickup truck, equipped with LED underbody lights and a flag attached to the back, as he revved his engine and made a sharp left turn at the intersection.
According to the Delray Beach Police Department, witnesses reported that Brewer deliberately performed multiple burnouts over the LGBTQ pride crosswalk. The reckless act caused significant damage to the streetscape painting, which serves as a symbol of unity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ community.
Law enforcement investigators received numerous reports of Brewer’s destructive acts, and several witnesses provided cell phone videos of the burnouts. Following a week-long investigation, Brewer surrendered to the police on February 12. He now faces charges of felony criminal mischief, damage to property over $1,000, and misdemeanor reckless driving. Brewer was released on a $5,250 bond shortly after midnight on Tuesday, as per jail records.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) has called for the vandalism to be considered a hate crime, highlighting the targeted nature of the incident. This is not the first time the Delray Beach intersection mural has been subjected to such an act. In June 2021, Alexander Jerich used his pickup truck to leave tire marks on the newly unveiled mural during a birthday rally for former President Donald Trump. Jerich was initially charged with criminal mischief, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice. However, the latter charge was dropped, and he recently completed his probation sentence.
Similar incidents of vandalism targeting LGBTQ pride symbols have occurred in other locations. In 2022, a rainbow-design crosswalk in Atlanta was twice spray-painted with swastikas. Additionally, during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, a “BLM” mural painted outside Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan was repeatedly vandalized, including by a black woman who live-streamed the act in July 2020.
