DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Police say a man has been arrested for purposefully damaging a new LGBTQ pride crosswalk at a South Florida intersection.
Officials say the 20-year-old man turned himself in to Delray Beach police on Thursday. Witnesses told police that they saw the man doing what appeared to be an intentional “burnout” with his pickup truck over the crosswalk.
Video of the incident shows the burnout caused the pickup to create significant damage to the streetscape painting.
The Palm Beach Post reports that the $16,000 street art was unveiled Saturday and paid for by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
WPEC reports the driver faces charges of criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving and evidence of prejudice (felony enhancement).
One of the local leaders behind the artwork, Nicholas Coppola, told the outlet he was saddened by the act, but not surprised.
"There are many things that indicate this is a hate crime targeted against the community," Coppola said. "I hate to say I was saddened, but not surprised. There’s a part of me that expected it. Unfortunately, we deal with this every day.”
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