A Florida man was arrested Saturday and accused of driving his van through a tent where a local Republican group was registering voters, authorities and officials said.
The man, Gregory William Loel Timm, 27, faces two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 or older, one count of criminal mischief and one count of driving on a suspended license, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The Republican Party of Duval County said it had set up the voter drive Saturday at a shopping center in Sandalwood, a neighborhood of Jacksonville.
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At 2:45 p.m., the group tweeted, a van accelerated into a crowd of volunteers, “intentionally” targeting them. Nobody was injured.
The driver sped away after making obscene gestures, the group said.
Photos posted by the group showed the tent on its side and signs for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence scattered across a parking lot.
Republican officials called the incident a “politically motivated” attack, while Trump tweeted about it Saturday, saying that “law enforcement has been notified.”
“Be careful tough guys who you play with,” he tweeted.
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It wasn’t immediately clear whether Timm has an attorney. Jail records didn’t list one.
In a court appearance Sunday, a judge set his bond at $500,000, NBC affiliate WTLV reported.
According to WTLV, Timm has lived in Jacksonville for two years and was recently hired by an international venue management company as a sound engineer.