In Washington, the showroom windows at Ferrari of Seattle were spray-painted and broken, but the dealership's inventory had been moved in anticipation of the demonstrations.
As the protests continued to turn violent throughout the weekend, the Volkswagen of Oakland dealership was vandalized in San Francisco's East Bay on Saturday night. A video by The San Francisco Chronicle's Matthias Gafni showed protesters smashing the windows of the store.
California troubles
Toyota Santa Monica also sustained damage, with a YouTube video showing several cars in its lot with smashed back windows. The dealership is part of LAcarGuy dealerships.
Mike Sullivan, owner of LAcarGuy dealerships, said that three of his Santa Monica locations were damaged with one suffering more destruction than the others, although he declined to name them. The damages consisted of computers torn off the walls, key machines broken open, stolen cars and cars crashed into each other.
“It was really horrible,” he said.
He told Automotive News that he closed ten out of his twelve dealerships in response to the incidents. He said that the people who damaged the dealerships are not from the area and are unrelated to the George Floyd protesters. He also said he is currently in the process of trying to hire armed guards for his dealerships.
“We can protect our lives, but not our property,” he said. “So we all have to understand that clear line.”
A message pops up on the LAcarGuy website that says, “Due to Civil Unrest, we will be temporarily closed today to ensure the safety of our guests and employees.” Also on Facebook, a post says, “Update: for the safety of our employees all LAcarGUY dealerships will be temporarily closed today. Thanks for your understanding. Please stay safe out there.”
In addition, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale in Arizona also was damaged in demonstrations Sunday. A photo by Mark Henle of The Arizona Republic shows a smashed window, although the cars inside appear to be intact.
Automotive News has left messages seeking comment from all of the affected dealerships.
The protests started in Minneapolis on May 26, a day after Floyd, an African American man, died in police custody, and spread to other cities across the country and around the world over the weekend. As of Monday, more than 40 U.S. cities had implemented curfews in response.
Sunday marked the sixth consecutive night of demonstrations in at least 75 cities across the country.
On Sunday night, the Oakland Police Department posted a statement on Twitter. It said, "We will arrest those who would loot, vandalize or otherwise harm our city."
