The man who allegedly drove his van through a Republican voter registration tent in Florida did so because he dislikes President Donald Trump, according to a copy of the police report reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Gregory William Loel Timm, the alleged driver, showed police videos he recorded on his phone up until he plowed through the tent on Saturday, the report states.
Timm is facing six criminal charges, including two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 years old or older, according to the police report.
The suspect told police that he drove through the tent—narrowly missing two volunteers who moved out of the way—because “someone had to take a stand,” according to the report.
“He willingly showed a video to us on his phone that was him talking prior to driving into the tent. He was a few aisles over in the parking lot. The suspect then showed another video to us of him driving towards the tent with the victims standing in front of the tent,” the report states.
“The video cuts out prior to him actually striking the tent … The suspect was upset that the video ended before the ‘good part’ as he described it,” it adds.
“The suspect advised that he does not like President Trump,” the report states, listing that as part of what motivated Timm.
“The assailant’s own confession makes it clear that Saturday was a deliberate and politically motivated attack on supporters of President Trump,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
#JSO has arrested the suspect who drove through the voter registration tent in the area of 11900 Atlantic Boulevard.
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) February 9, 2020
Gregory Timm has been charged with Aggravated Assault, Criminal Mischief, and Driving While Driver’s License Suspended. pic.twitter.com/zGKbR2VTg0
“What happened in Jacksonville is completely reprehensible and unacceptable. Political violence has no place in our democratic process, and we will not bend to these thuggish acts,” said McDaniel.
Republicans were targeted for political violence in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections as well.
A Republican campaign office in Wyoming was set on fire just days after it opened in September 2018. Three weeks after the Wyoming fire, a California man attempted to stab a Republican congressional candidate at a local fair.
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