Protesters gathered outside a Tesla dealership in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Saturday March 22nd. Palm Beach resident, Andrew S. Dutil wasn’t having it. The civil engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers drove his car up on the sidewalk and through the crowd. The Sheriff’s Office reported that all the Tesla dealership protesters jumped clear and no one was hurt.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrested Dutil. He now faces assault charges.

Tesla dealerships have become a dangerous protest flashpoint

Elon Musk invested in the Tesla startup in 2004. The board elected him CEO in 2008. His stock in the successful automaker makes him the richest man in the world. The $277 million he gave to Donald Trump’s third Presidential campaign made him the election’s biggest donor, and he has since promised another $100 million to MAGA Super PACs.

Elon Musk’s reward? A title as Senior Advisor to the President for the new Department of Government Efficiency, and multiple photo opportunities with President Trump, including the President publicly buying a Tesla.

In protest, Tesla drivers are trading in their cars in record numbers. Others are just adding the popular bumper sticker “I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy.” Protesters have even gathered outside of Tesla dealerships for several reasons. Some protesters object to controversial comments he’s made that many claim were anti-semitic, or his apparent Nazi salute at a campaign rally. Others object to DOGE firing thousands of government employees and shutting down entire government departments. Still others protest conflicts of interest, such as DOGE overseeing government departments that should be overseeing Musk’s companies: Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter).

Multiple protests at Tesla dealerships have escalated before Dutil’s dangerous assault. Protesters set Cybertrucks on fire in Seattle. Witnesses reported shots fired in Oregon.

Tesla’s stock price has tumbled, losing one third of its value. During the selling frenzy, Musk called a meeting and begged his employees to “hang onto your stock.”

Not all Tesla dealership protesters have been peaceful. Protesters destroying property should always be charged and tried–by the authorities. But by no accounts was Palm Beach a violent demonstration. Driving a car through crowds is irresponsibly dangerous. In addition, terrorizing peaceful demonstrators is not any way for a proud U.S. citizen to behave. Ours is a country that defends free speech as a constitutional right. Scattering demonstrators is how terrorists, dictators, and the USA’s other enemies behave.