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Teen sentenced for leaving burnout marks on LGBT progress pride mural

An aerial image shows a variety of tire marks and 'burnouts' from cars driving over the progress pride intersection in Delray Beach, Florida.
An aerial image shows a variety of tire marks and "burnouts" from cars driving over the progress pride intersection in Delray Beach, Florida. | Screenshot: YouTube/WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast

A Florida judge sentenced a 19-year-old to two years of probation for leaving burnout marks on an LGBT progress pride mural. The court also revoked his driver’s license for one year, assessing a financial penalty and ordering additional requirements as part of his sentence.

Palm Beach County Judge Daliah Weiss delivered the sentence in a Delray Beach courtroom, issuing two years of probation for Dylan Brewer of Clearwater, The Post Millennial reported.

Brewer pleaded guilty to reckless driving and criminal mischief after deliberately marking a rainbow mural with tire burnout tracks, according to court documents.

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The judge further revoked Brewer’s driver’s license for one year, ordered him to pay $5,568.71 to the city, serve 150 hours of community service, and undergo eight hours of anger management classes.

Palm Beach County Human Rights Council founder Rand Hoch, whose organization helped fund the $17,000 crosswalk, addressed the courtroom last week, saying Brewer had “committed a crime against our community, the LGBTQ community.”

Hoch described the incident as a repeated act of vandalism, telling the judge that Brewer “went through the intersection not once, not twice, but three times in a retrofitted vehicle that caused great damage.” 

The crosswalk depicts the LGBT rainbow colors along with the colors pink, white and blue to symbolize trans-identified individuals, plus black and brown. The Human Rights Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation jointly financed the cost of the mural.

Brewer acknowledged responsibility for the incident during his appearance before the judge, stating, “It was not my intention to cause any harm outside of having some fun with friends.” He added, “I do realize now the harm that was caused afterwards towards the community, and I’m very sorry for my actions and putting my family and the court through this.”

Before the sentence was handed down, he apologized once more for “a lot of setback, if you would say, towards their community.”

Hoch was dissatisfied with the plea deal, claiming the outcome would do little to dissuade similar acts directed at LGBT-identified individuals.

A legal defense fundraiser for Brewer had gathered $28,265. The online campaign was hosted by GiveSendGo, and organizers described the case as involving constitutional concerns.

The fundraiser page said, “This fund not only supports Brewer’s legal defense but also champions the fundamental American values of freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.”

Security footage showed a truck leaving tire burnout marks in the early morning.

Anthony Sabatini, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives at the time who had also served in the Florida state House of Representatives, labeled Brewer a “political prisoner” on X and urged Florida’s governor to pardon what he termed a “fake crime.”

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