Woman slashed stranger's SUV tires because she allegedly 'disagreed' with his MAGA hat inside
A teen vandalized a stranger’s car when she saw a Make America Great Again hat on the console because she “disagreed” with its message.
Recently, Nick Dugas, a security manager at Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix, Ariz., was leaving work and saw that one of his SUV tires was flat from a three-inch cut, according to the Arizona Republic.
Dugas checked the mall parking lot’s security tapes and watched a car entering a space next to his vehicle. When four women got out, two looked inside his SUV where his MAGA cap was sitting.
When the women came back, the driver was holding a Dutch Bros. Coffee cup in one hand, the video showed. She kneeled down next to his tire to make a cut and her friend watched for witnesses.
The Arizona Republic reports that Dugas called the coffee shop to ask about the women, whom he learned are regular customers. He visited the brand’s Instagram followers and when one’s face matched that of the driver seen in the security footage, he reported the crime to the Phoenix Police Department.
The police could not immediately provide Yahoo Lifestyle with a copy of the crime report and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office told Yahoo Lifestyle that an information request was not possible at this time. However, they did confirm the incident took place.”She admitted to slashing his tires because of the MAGA hat. I think the hat made her mad. She was issued a citation in lieu of detention. There was damage done to the tire that required repair,” a spokesperson said. Representatives from the Paradise Valley Mall and Dutch Bros. Coffee did not return calls from Yahoo Lifestyle.
“No one has a right to destroy property because they don’t agree with someone else,” Dugas said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being the victim of pure hate because of my belief.”
The teen was charged with criminal damage and will pay a $750 fine. “She later told police that it was because she saw a hat with a political message inside the vehicle which she disagreed with,” Sgt. Vincent Lewis of the Phoenix Police Department told the paper.
Dugas also apparently wrote in a court statement:
“In this case, the right thing to do is to forgive you rather than spill hatred onto you like you did to me. Rather than wish upon you the same fear you wished upon me that day. But I really hope that you are listening. Just because I have a different yet equally as important view as you do, it doesn’t EVER give you the right to spew hate, cause fear, and interrupt someone else’s life.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Teacher’s assistant calls student ‘racist and sexist’ and wraps MAGA flag around his head in video
Teen is fighting to wear her MAGA hat to school: ‘Since when is patriotism inappropriate?’
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