A Florida man who last week drove his van into a voter registration tent staffed by local Republicans has admitted he was motivated by his hatred of President Trump.
Gregory Timm, 27, drove into the tent on Saturday in the parking lot of a Jacksonville WalMart, narrowly missing volunteers working at the site. Timm told investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that he crashed into the tent because “someone had to take a stand,” the Jacksonville outlet News4Jax reported on Tuesday.
He also tried to film the attack on his phone, but the video cut off before he hit the tent. Timm said he was disappointed the video ended before “the good part.”
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s investigation, Timm asserted that he waited until no one was in the tent before crashing into it; however, his own cell phone video showed people standing in front of the tent as he drove towards it.
Jacksonville police have charged Timm with criminal mischief, driving without a license, and two counts of aggravated assault against a person over the age of 65.
While police waited several days to confirm the attack was politically motivated, Republicans on Saturday excoriated Timm over his actions. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and called the attack “politically motivated,” while governor Rick Scott said the Duval County GOP would “will redouble their efforts to support strong Republicans in NE Florida and around the state!”
“We are outraged. This is not who we are. This is un-American,” Duval County Republican Party Chair Dean Black said at a press conference on Monday. “We are thankful that no one was injured; no one was killed.”