A teenager has been charged with a felony after police say he committed “intentional vandalism” by spinning his tires at a gay pride crosswalk.
According to officers, witnesses saw the 19-year-old performing multiple burns with his vehicle at an LGBTQ Pride crosswalk in the city.
Police said Brewer “caused significant damage to the streetscape painting, which serves as a symbol of unity and inclusion for the LGBTQ community.”
Surveillance footage shows the moment a large 4×4 is seen burning its wheels on the stretch of road, leaving black marks across the intersection.
Surveillance footage shows the moment the wheel of a large 4×4 is seen spinning across the stretch of road, before driving away, leaving black marks across the intersection.
On Monday morning, Brewer, seen here, turned himself in at the Delray Beach Police Department and did not provide a statement to authorities.
Police said that while working the case, several citizens presented images of the act taken with their cell phones.
On Monday morning, Brewer turned himself in to the Delray Beach Police Department and did not provide any statement to authorities.
According to the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, Brewer also had a Donald Trump flag in the back of his vehicle at the time.
The organization paid $16,000 to install the mural along with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, saying vandalism should be considered a hate crime.
Palm Beach County Jail records indicate Brewer was released Tuesday on $5,250 bond. It is unclear if Brewer entered a guilty plea at this time.
This is also not the first incident of people burning their tires at the intersection.
Alexander Jerich pleaded guilty in 2022 to the same charges Brewer faces for defacing the same mural.
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Jerich was sentenced to probation and ordered to write an essay about the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.
Police said that while working the case, several citizens came forward with cell phone images of the act; The consequences of the incident can be seen here.
Palm Beach County Jail records indicate Brewer was released Tuesday on $5,250 bond.
Estimates to fix the mural after Jerich vandalized it reached $8,000, and Rand Hoch, president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, told the outlet he believes the latest incident will cost the same.
After Jerich’s sentencing, Hoch called the punishment a “slap on the wrist” and called for hasher penalties.
At the time, he said, “I think a big problem is that our judiciary doesn’t understand that hate crimes are hate crimes.”
‘There needs to be consequences so that people know that if they commit crimes like this, they will go to jail, they will be fined and they will have to suffer for what they did.
Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia has described the artwork as “about solidarity, inclusion and visibility.”