Man Drives Vehicle Into Group of Tesla Protesters Near Mar-a-Lago in Florida
A protest at a Tesla location in Florida was disrupted Saturday when a man slowly drove his black SUV up onto the sidewalk toward the group, forcing them to scatter in order to avoid being hurt. A suspect was arrested at the scene and there were no injuries, according to police.
Law enforcement tells the AP that the suspect, Andrew Dutil, allegedly drove his Nissan Pathfinder at a slow speed onto the sidewalk and directly into the group of demonstrators before coming to a stop and exiting the vehicle. Reports indicate Dutil claimed to be an employee of the Tesla showroom where the protests were taking place.
“He drove into a crowd of senior citizens,” said Mark Offerman of the Democratic Progressive Caucus Palm Beach County about the driver. “Everybody was able to move out, but two older women were really almost clipped. We immediately called the cops.”
The AP adds that “Dutil was arrested and faces an assault charge, according to court records.”
At least one individual associated with the group “Tesla Takedown” posted on social media about the incident.
@teslatakedown.com today in West Palm Beach, Florida. There were about 100 of us peacefully protesting on the sidewalk. Some jackass drive his SUV into us. He was arrested for assault. We will come out next Saturday. They will not scare us into silence.
— MiniFleur (@minifleur322.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 1:52 AM
In response to CEO Elon Musk supporting President Donald Trump during the election and slashing budgets and personnel through DOGE over the last several weeks, protests and acts of vandalism and violence have broken out both at Tesla locations and against individual vehicle owners, prompting a public safety warning from the FBI over the weekend, though not everyone has had a negative reaction to the incidents.
Local news were on the scene for a portion of the protest Saturday prior to the incident. Footage shows many of those in attendance were Seniors, and a number of the demonstrators were carrying American flags.
The Tesla showroom where the protest took place is located in West Palm Beach, Florida, which is home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and base of operations.
The Palm Beach Post interviewed some of the protest attendees about their feelings on Musk and Trump, as well as their reasons for demonstrating, in the article here.
