Bend man charged with spewing pickup exhaust at rally in ‘rolling coal’ incident

'Use your words, not your smoke,' DA John Hummel warns

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 20-year-old Bend man was charged Tuesday with two counts of harassment, accused of accelerating his pickup truck past a May 30 Black Lives Matter rally and sending thick smoke into the crowd in a so-called “rolling coal” incident, District Attorney John Hummel said.

Hummel said Dylan Freville drove his truck past hundreds of people rallying on May 30 in support of black lives.

“On two occasions, he quickly accelerated his truck as he passed the rally, causing thick plumes of diesel smoke to eject from his truck’s exhaust pipe onto rally attendees, causing them physical discomfort,” Hummel said in a news release.

“This act is referred to colloquially as ‘rolling coal’ and is often done to people riding bicycles, people driving electric cars and, of late, people attending Black Lives Matter rallies,” the district attorney wrote.

Freville was identified through photos and videos taken by rally participants, as well as Freville “bragging about what he did in an Instagram post,” Hummel said.

Bend police cited Freville for harassment, leading to Hummel’s charges Tuesday. He’s due for arraignment on the charges on August 13.

“Perhaps no right in our country is more fundamental than the right of peaceful assembly," Hummel said in a statement.

"Those who disagree with messages being shared by those who assemble, have the right to assemble to share their opposition, but they have no right to resort to violence," he said. "To the 'rolling' coal practitioners in our community, I say: use your words, not your smoke.  If you use your smoke, you’ll be held accountable.”