Man arrested after smashing car into Trump merch shop hours after Jan 6 hearing
‘It’s disturbing, actually, if something like this were to happen because somebody didn’t like the store’
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A 46-year-old man has been taken into custody after he allegedly slammed his vehicle into a store selling Donald Trump merchandise in Easton, Massachusetts.
Surveillance footage from Thursday shows a black sedan smashing through the front window of the store, New England For Trump on Washington Street in Easton, south of Boston.
The entirety of the car entered the shop, nearly hitting an employee, who was uninjured. Shop owner Keith Lambert told WHDH that his first concern was to make sure nobody was hurt.
“This is crazy. How does this even happen?” he said.
Mr Lambert told the local TV station that he has to deal with protesters at times. But he never thought something like this could happen.
“It’s disturbing, actually, if something like this were to happen because somebody didn’t like the store,” he said. “They could’ve killed someone.”
The shop owner requested that people be civil to each other ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Hundreds of items in the store were damaged and can’t be put back on the shelves. The police said the 46-year-old suspect was from Raynham and that he was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center but is not believed to be injured.
After detaining the man, police towed the vehicle from the shop. The altercation is still being investigated.
Local outlet The Enterprise reported that the vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, had an anti-Trump sticker on the back. The photo of Mr Trump on the vehicle features a barcode on his upper lip – seemingly a reference to the moustache of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The sticker includes a quote by French philosopher and writer Voltaire: “Those who make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities”.
Easton Police wrote on Facebook that the incident occurred around 5.10pm on Thursday.
Several restaurants and other shops and businesses are located in close proximity to the store. A large sign similar to those used by the Trump campaign states that the shop sells “T-shirts, hats, flags and more”. Most of the windows in the shop are covered by Trump flags.