Man Who Drove Van into GOP Tent Said 'Someone Had To Take a Stand' Against Trump: Police
The man charged with driving a van through a tent set up by Republican Party volunteers in Jacksonville, Florida, as part of a voter registration drive told police his actions were politically motivated.
Gregory William Loel Timm, 27, faces two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older, along with charges of criminal mischief and driving with a suspended license.
A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department arrest report said that when deputies confronted Timm at his home, he told them “someone had to take a stand.”
The report said Timm “does not like President Trump” and “the other reason was because ‘it’s like someone s—-ing on your grave.’”
According to the report, he told deputies he had gone to the Walmart where the volunteers had set up a tent so he could buy food and cigarettes.
Timm showed deputies video of him speaking to volunteers prior to the incident, and another that ended prior to the van hitting the tent, according to the report. The report said Timm was “upset” the video ended before what he called “the good part.”
The report infuriated local Republicans.
“It is high time that the national media begin to act responsibly in this case and call this deranged criminal’s attack what has been clear: An obvious assault motivated by blind rage toward President Trump,” Dean Black, Duval County Republican Party chairman, said on the party’s Facebook page.
“With the release of a revised police report, the national media now has no place to hide. They must now cover this story honestly or abandon all pretenses of integrity,” Black said.
Others weighed in on Twitter.
Political violence is reprehensible regardless of the party.
So why won’t the mainstream media cover Gregory Timm’s attack on @realDonaldTrump Florida volunteers?
Because the media wants to pretend it never happened – it doesn’t fit their narrative.
They hope you don’t notice.
— Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) February 12, 2020
Where is the outraged media? Why are they so silent on this? This would be the number one story in the world right now if it was a Trump supporter doing it to a group of liberals.
It’s a disgrace that they don’t even pretend to pay attention to growing leftist violence. https://t.co/Eca6pfip1v
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 11, 2020
Mark Alfieri, who was among the volunteers, said Timm’s vehicle missed hitting them by inches.
No injuries were reported.
“Kind of out of the blue, a man approached us in a van, was waving at us, kind of a friendly demeanor, thought he was coming up to talk to us, instead he accelerated his vehicle and plowed right into our tent, our tables,” Alfieri said, according to WJAX-TV.
He said he and five women were staffing the tent at the time.
“After he ran over everything, he backed up, took out a cellphone, kind of recorded the damage, made some obscene gestures at us and then proceeded to leave the complex,” Alfieri said.
WATCH: Gregory Timm appears in Jacksonville court accused of ramming his van into a crowd of Trump volunteers pic.twitter.com/nZmNXizL1t
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) February 9, 2020
After a court appearance Monday, Timm was confined to the Duval County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond, according to WJAX.
His next court appearance is scheduled for March 3.
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