Florida Teen Charged after Allegedly Defacing Rainbow Crosswalk with Trump-Flag-Flying 4x4

A 19-year-old Florida man is facing charges for causing what police called "significant damage" to public property, having allegedly used his 4x4 truck to burn tire marks into a rainbow crosswalk memorializing victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre.

UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported that Clearwater, Fla. resident Dylan Brewer "was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief over $1000 and reckless driving" after turning himself in to police following an episode in which witnesses reportedly saw the teen "performing multiple burnouts with his vehicle over a LGBTQ pride crosswalk in the city" of Delray Beach.

The truck was reportedly flying a Trump flag.

Delray Beach police posted video of the act of property damage as the banner-flying truck belched smoke while its tires spun and left a long, arcing mark across the rainbow colors of the crosswalk.

The Mail noted that "multiple citizens came forward with cellphone footage of the act," after which the suspect turned himself in "and did not provide a statement to law enforcement."

An epicenter of legislative assaults targeting the LGBTQ+ community, Florida has seen multiple instances of similar public property destruction. The same Delray Beach crosswalk was vandalized less than a week after it was initially painted in 2021, with then-20-year-old Alexander Jerich being charged with criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving, and a felony enhancement for evidence of prejudice after witnesses in that case told police that they saw Jerich doing what appeared to be an intentional burnout with his pickup truck over the LGBTQ+ pride crosswalk.

Jerich's truck was also flying a Trump flag and the truck had reportedly been part of a rally in honor of the former president's birthday.

Last May, a Fort Lauderdale crosswalk that had been newly painted with the colors of the Progress Pride flag was similarly vandalized when a perpetrator methodically burned tire marks across it while a second suspect filmed the act on a cell phone. The vehicle used was a black Ford F-250.

The criminal act, brazenly carried out in broad daylight, was caught on a security camera.

Another rainbow-themed crosswalk in Florida – this time in Boynton Beach – was scarred last June when a perpetrator riding a motorcycle allegedly performed a similar intentional burnout across the colorful crosswalk before stopping and taking a photo of their handiwork.