Authorities arrested a suspect who allegedly drove his van through a voter registration tent in Florida, narrowly missing volunteers campaigning for President Donald Trump. Gregory Timm, 27, was taken custody after the incident at the Kernan Village shopping center in Jacksonville on Saturday, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. The Republican Party of Duval County said six volunteers had been "intentionally targeted while registering voters" outside the mall on Saturday afternoon.
In a post on Facebook, the group said a brown and gold van driven by a white man accelerated into a crowd of volunteers at a voter registration tent at around 2:45 p.m. ET before fleeing the scene. "Thankfully, Republican volunteers narrowly avoided being struck by the accelerating van. The driver sped away after making an obscene gesture toward the crowd," the group said. Duval County GOP chairman Dean Black said he was outraged by the incident and said the party would not be intimidated. "We are outraged by this senseless act of violence toward out great volunteers," he said.
"The Republican Party of Duval County will not be intimidated by these cowards and we will not be silenced. I call on every Republican in our great city to stand up, get involved, and show these radicals that we will not be intimidated from exercising our Constitutional rights." The group added that it would be redoubling its efforts to register voters. Mark Alfieri was one of the volunteers who avoided being struck by the van. He told Action News Jax that he was volunteering at the tent with five women when the van came within inches of hitting them.
"Kind of out of the blue, a man approached us in a van, was waving at us, kind of a friendly demeanor, thought he was coming up to talk to us, instead he accelerated his vehicle and plowed right into our tent, our tables," Alfieri told the station. Alfieri said the man then backed up his vehicle, took out his cell phone to film the damage and "made some obscene gestures at us" before driving off.
Timm was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, and driving with a suspended license, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He was jailed without bond on Saturday night.
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Gregory Timm, 27, was taken custody after the incident at the Kernan Village shopping center in Jacksonville on Saturday, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
The Republican Party of Duval County said six volunteers had been "intentionally targeted while registering voters" outside the mall on Saturday afternoon.
In a post on Facebook, the group said a brown and gold van driven by a white man accelerated into a crowd of volunteers at a voter registration tent at around 2:45 p.m. ET before fleeing the scene.
"Thankfully, Republican volunteers narrowly avoided being struck by the accelerating van. The driver sped away after making an obscene gesture toward the crowd," the group said.
Duval County GOP chairman Dean Black said he was outraged by the incident and said the party would not be intimidated. "We are outraged by this senseless act of violence toward out great volunteers," he said.
"The Republican Party of Duval County will not be intimidated by these cowards and we will not be silenced. I call on every Republican in our great city to stand up, get involved, and show these radicals that we will not be intimidated from exercising our Constitutional rights."
The group added that it would be redoubling its efforts to register voters.
Mark Alfieri was one of the volunteers who avoided being struck by the van. He told Action News Jax that he was volunteering at the tent with five women when the van came within inches of hitting them.
"Kind of out of the blue, a man approached us in a van, was waving at us, kind of a friendly demeanor, thought he was coming up to talk to us, instead he accelerated his vehicle and plowed right into our tent, our tables," Alfieri told the station.
Alfieri said the man then backed up his vehicle, took out his cell phone to film the damage and "made some obscene gestures at us" before driving off.
Timm was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, and driving with a suspended license, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He was jailed without bond on Saturday night.