Florida man charged with driving van into GOP voter tent said he dislikes Trump and had to 'take a stand,' police say

A Jacksonville, Florida, man jailed after allegedly crashing a minivan through a tent of Republican volunteers in a Walmart parking lot told investigators he does not like President Donald Trump and felt "someone had to take a stand," according to his arrest report.

Gregory William Loel Timm, 27, was jailed on $500,000 bail on two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 years old or older, plus criminal mischief and driving with a suspended license, jail records show.

Timm is accused of deliberately crashing his GMC Safari into a tent of Republican volunteers who were registering voters outside the Walmart on Saturday. No one was struck by the van.

In response to Timm's arrest, Trump issued a warning on Twitter: "Be careful tough guys who you play with!"

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., tweeted it was "a politically motivated attack." Local GOP leaders joined Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Monday to further condemn what happened.

"You should not have to fear physical injury or worse to express political beliefs in America," said GOP Duval County Chairman Dean Black. "Nowhere in our country, nowhere in our city should anyone fear for their physical health because of their political views and their political activities."

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The Duval County Democratic Party condemned what it called a "cowardly act of violence."

"No one’s life should be placed in danger for exercising their first amendment rights," the group said on Twitter. "We call on our fellow citizens to act with dignity, civility and respect for one another during this election cycle and beyond."

The arrest report released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the volunteers were working just before 3 p.m. EST when someone drove a van slowly toward them. A volunteer walked up to the driver’s side window to talk with the suspect, and another stood on the passenger side.

A less-redacted version of the report – which was first made public by the Republican Party of Duval County – was released by the clerk of court’s office.

The original arrest report released by the sheriff’s office had most of the police interview with Timm redacted, citing a Florida statute that protects certain investigative information.

In the less-redacted version, Timm said he went to Walmart to get food and cigarettes, then noticed the tent in the parking lot and parked near it.

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"The suspect advised that he does not like President Trump" and said, "Someone had to take a stand," the updated version of the arrest report said.

When detectives spoke to him, he showed them videos he had taken "prior to driving into the tent," the report said.

"The suspect then showed another video to us of him driving toward the tent with the victims standing in front," the report said. "The suspect was upset that the video ended before 'the good part' as he described it."

The video stopped before the impact with the tent.

According to the report, the van accelerated toward the volunteers and the tent, and two people jumped out of the way as it plowed into chairs and tables inside. The suspect got out, took his cellphone out, then made a rude gesture before driving off.

None of the half-dozen volunteers was injured, but the sheriff’s office described them as extremely shaken up. One volunteer had a cellphone image of the departing van, then a tip led detectives to Timms’ home Sunday, about a mile away from the Walmart where the incident occurred.

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A public defender was assigned to his case, and Timm’s arraignment is set for March 3, according to court records.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Timm's statement "makes it clear that Saturday was a deliberate and politically motivated attack on supporters of President Trump," which she called "completely reprehensible and unacceptable."

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida man charged in GOP tent crash dislikes Trump, police say