Cape Coral man arrested for running over Trump sign

Published: Updated:

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Police have arrested a driver who posted video to Facebook that appears to show him intentionally running over a Donald Trump campaign sign along Del Prado Boulevard on Sunday.

The Cape Coral Police Department issued Manuel Retiz, 36, a notice to appear in court after the woman who owns the sign found the video on his Facebook page. The sign costs $275 to replace, according to police.

In the video, the driver runs off the road and goes over a sidewalk, knocking down the sign at the intersection of Del Prado and Diplomat Parkway East.

Retiz wasn’t jailed, but he must show up in court to avoid additional charges on top of the first-degree criminal mischief charge he already faces. A Trump volunteer told police the campaign would press charges.

The since-deleted post on Retiz’s page included a caption in Spanish that translates to “Oops, my apologies to all Latinos of the world” and several laughing emoticons.

Campaign signs for the brash Republican presidential nominee have also become targets elsewhere in Southwest Florida. A swastika was spray-painted on a Trump sign at Del Prado and Kismet Parkway East this past weekend, and a Matlacha artist created a large, prominent pro-Trump display after multiple signs in front of her studio were stolen or damaged.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.