Pride street mural defaced again in Delray Beach; 19-year-old to face criminal charges

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·3 min read
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DELRAY BEACH — A 19-year-old man from Pinellas County is facing criminal charges following his arrest Monday, Feb. 12 in the wake of an act of vandalism to the Delray Beach LGBTQ street mural.

Dylan Brewer of Clearwater turned himself in at the Delray Beach Police Department, according to a post on the city's main webpage. He is accused of using his vehicle to perform multiple "burnouts" on the evening of Feb. 4 at the rainbow-striped crosswalk at Northeast First Street and Northeast Second Avenue.

Several witnesses provided cellphone videos of the acts, the city's statement said. Brewer did not make a statement after surrendering and he was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail.

He faces charges of felony criminal mischief over $1,000 and reckless driving. Jail records showed that he was released from custody in the early morning of Tuesday, Feb. 13, on $5,250 bail. Court records did not indicate whether he has retained an attorney.

Previous coverage: 'A slap on the wrist': Man who defaced gay pride street mural put on 2 years of probation

Dylan Brewer of Clearwater is accused of using his vehicle to perform multiple burnouts on the "Pride Intersection" on February 4, 2024, in Delray Beach, Florida.
Dylan Brewer of Clearwater is accused of using his vehicle to perform multiple burnouts on the "Pride Intersection" on February 4, 2024, in Delray Beach, Florida.

According to a police arrest report made public Wednesday, Feb. 14, witnesses described seeing a gray Dodge Ram pickup with a large 'President Trump' flag attached doing several burnouts at the intersection.

It is the second time within the past three years that a person has been accused of defacing the same crosswalk. In June 2021, a 20-year-old Lantana-area man was arrested on charges similar to Brewer's after Delray Beach police alleged that he burned 15-foot-long tire skid marks into the $17,000 streetscape days after it was unveiled.

The man, Alexander Jerich, was placed on two years of probation in June 2022.

Witnesses told Delray Beach police that Brewer intentionally performed multiple burnouts in his truck, causing significant damage to the streetscape painting. A video of the purported act was posted to the city's webpage.

The police report made public Wednesday said investigators traced the Dodge Ram pickup Brewer was driving through its Florida tag and then Brewer's Instagram page, which showed photos of him with the truck, bearing the same Trump flag.

Police also said they identified two passengers in the truck who confirmed Brewer was its driver. One said Brewer had recently modified the truck to perform burnouts with greater ease. The report indicates that Brewer passed through the Delray intersection three times within a 10-minute span, with surveillance video showing his performing a burnout on occasion and sliding across the intersection on another, leaving fresh tire marks.

The street art, paid for by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, features the traditional rainbow colors for gay, lesbian and bisexual pride, plus a few more: Pink, white and blue for transgender people, and black and brown for people of color in the community.

Rand Hoch, the council's president and founder, praised Delray Beach police for their prompt attention to the Feb. 4 vandalism in a prepared statement Monday.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: LGBTQ street mural defaced again in Florida; 19-year-old facing charges