A man who used his truck to deface a rainbow-colored intersection dedicated to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting must now pay nearly $6,000 in damages to the city of Delray Beach, Florida. His own friends helped police identify and arrest him.
Dylan Reese Brewer, a white male 19-year-old who is a registered Republican voter, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and reckless driving causing injury to property or person after using his Dodge Ram truck on February 4 to do “burnouts”, leaving black tire marks on crosswalks painted in the colors of the Progress Pride flag. At the time of the incident, he drove the truck with two passengers while flying a large flag bearing the words “President Trump.”
Related:
Investigators identified Brewer the truck using license place information taken from two nearby businesses’ surveillance videos. Police discovered that the truck was registered to his mother and father, Marisa and Barry Brewer of Clearwater, Florida.
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Using social media, investigators located Dylan Brewer through his mother’s Facebook account, eventually locating the vandal’s Instagram account where he had pictures of the truck and himself wearing the same black cowboy hat that he was seen wearing on surveillance video while committing the crime.
The surveillance video also showed two passengers in the truck with him. Police eventually located both passengers who told officers that Dylan Brewer had driven the truck and worn the black cowboy hat.
Near February 13, 2024, police arrested Dylan Brewer and issued him a felony charge of criminal mischief. The police report noted that the vandal’s truck had nearly hit a man riding a scooter while destroying the crosswalk. The vandal eventually accepted a plea deal that resulted in reduced charges.
Judge Daliah Weiss suspended Dylan Brewer’s driver’s license for one year, sentenced him to 12 months probation, ordered him to attend anger management classes. He must now perform 75 hours of community service, pay thousands of dollars in court fines and costs, and $5698.71 in restitution to the City of Delray Beach, The Smoking Gun reported.
The rainbow crosswalk was installed by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The groups unveiled the crosswalk during Pride Month festivities on June 12, 2021. The total cost of installation was $16,720.
The same intersection was vandalized by another 19-year-old, Alexander Jerrich, in July 2021. Like Brewer, Jerrich performed a burnout in his truck — which also had a flag flying from its rear end — to deliberately leave black marks on the rainbow street art. The truck was driving as part of a convoy celebrating the birthday of Republican former President Donald Trump, one of the most anti-LGBTQ presidents of all time.
A court ordered Jerrich to write a 25-page essay about the 2016 Pulse shooting but declined to pursue a felony criminal mischief charge against Jerrich for fear that it would make it harder for the Trump supporter to find a job. During the trial, Jerrich cried as his father discussed what a disappointment he is. Local LGBTQ+ organizations refused to let Jerrich work with them, even though the judge thought it would help him learn more about the queer community.
Jerrich was sentenced to two years’ probation, 100 hours of community service, and a mental health screening for his crime.
“Defacement of the memorial to the LGBTQ+ community should be considered a hate crime,” said Rand Hoch, the president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, in response to Jerrich’s sentencing. “However, local State Attorney David Aronberg previously determined that since the intersection is owned by a municipality and not an individual, Florida’s hate crime statute does not apply.”
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
