'You’re pathetic -- can’t wait to drive through’: Trump fan fired for boastful threats to run over protesters
An Arizona man is out of a job after he threatened to run over anti-Trump protesters in Phoenix this past week in a Facebook post.
According to AzCentral, Phoenix resident Jame Cobo made his threat on Tuesday in a forum where locals were planning their "Protest Trump Downtown Phoenix."
"You are all pathetic. Cant wait to drive through. 4x4 with push bumper will be sweet in this crowd. I named my lifted truck 'trumper,'" Cobo wrote.
Cobo's comment appalled other Facebook users, coming less than two weeks after 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when she was mowed down by car driven a white nationalist in Charlottesville. Outraged Facebook users then contacted his employer.
One day after the offensive comment, the Phoenix man found himself out of a job after being fired by his employer, West Valley Tires Point S.
"West Valley Tires Point S wants to publicly state we do not condone or support violence or prejudice in anyway shape or form," the automotive repair center said in a statement. "We were recently made aware of an employee that posted outrageous posts and videos that are in no way affiliated with the positive views, values and appreciation we have for people in our community and throughout the world. That person is no longer affiliated with West Valley Tires Point S."
According to Cobo, he is being persecuted for a joke.
"I'm being made into a horrible person over a joke that was just meant to ruffle some feathers," Cobo said in an interview. "I admit it was a tasteless joke, but keyword here is it was a joke. If anybody was ever going to go and intentionally hurt people, why would they talk about it on social media publicly before doing it?"
"I never hurt anybody, nor did I have the intent to," Cobo said, adding that he has received death threats since his post. "I never said I was actually going to hit anybody with a vehicle. They assumed it. Never would have thought it would be a big deal. I still can't figure out why I'm being called a racist. I've never even said anything racist."
Cobo claimed that he wasn't thinking about Heyer when he wrote his comment, but added, "If you play in the road, you might get hit by a car. My parents taught me that when I was little. Now, her family has $225,000, because she played in the street, and people feel sorry for her family."
You can see a screenshot of Cobo's Facebook comment below via AzCentral.
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