Police are investigating a attainable arson case at a Tesla dealership in Kansas City, Missouri after two Tesla Cybertrucks burned on Monday night time.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are working along with the Kansas Metropolis Police Division to analyze the fires.
Police stated an officer noticed a Cybertruck on hearth on the dealership shortly earlier than midnight on March 17. The officer tried to make use of a fireplace extinguisher earlier than having to name the Kansas Metropolis Hearth Division to help as the fireplace unfold to a second Cybertruck within the car parking zone.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they discovered each Cybertrucks on hearth earlier than getting it beneath management. Each Cybertrucks had been coated with a fireplace blanket to forestall the fireplace from reigniting and spreading to different autos.
In accordance with ABC affiliate KMBC Information, ATF said that the police division deemed the incident “suspicious in nature.”
The same incident passed off in Las Vegas on the Tesla Collision Focus on 2:45 a.m. native time on March 18.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren stated officers acquired a number of calls on Tuesday night time, together with from an individual who stated they heard gunshots. Authorities stated a suspect armed with a gun and Molotov cocktails launched a “focused assault” on the Tesla location, firing photographs and torching a number of autos.
“This was a focused assault in opposition to a Tesla facility, ” Koren told reporters throughout a press convention. “We do consider that it’s remoted right now. We don’t consider there’s additional menace to most of the people.”
The suspect wore all black and “at the very least 5 Tesla autos had been broken, two of which had been engulfed in flames,” Koren added.
Koren stated the attacker sprayed the phrase “RESIST” in all-caps in purple spray paint on the collision centre’s door and one un-ignited Molotov cocktail was recovered from the scene.
“As a precaution, like we do in lots of of those incidents, we have now elevated our police presence, particularly at Tesla areas or another Tesla associated areas within the valley.”
Latest months have seen a slew of focused acts in opposition to Tesla, ever since Musk was put accountable for the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) by Trump shortly after he took workplace.
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Final week, 4 autos had been set on hearth in Germany within the Plänterwald and Steglitz neighbourhoods of Berlin. German police stated that political motives couldn’t be dominated out.
The primary hearth was reported simply earlier than 2 a.m. native time on March 14, and three different fires had been alerted shortly after. German police say that whereas nobody was injured, all 4 autos had been damaged beyond use and close by autos had been additionally broken.
A burnt-out Tesla automobile stands within the Steglitz district of Berlin, Friday, March 14, 2025, as 4 Teslas are suspected to have been set on hearth in Berlin.
Christophe Gateau / dpa through AP
On March 13, gunshots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon for the second time in every week, inflicting intensive harm to vehicles and showroom home windows, The Related Press reported. The same taking pictures occurred every week earlier than, on March 6, on the similar location.
On March 8, footage captured throughout protests at a Manhattan dealership reveals police eradicating plenty of demonstrators from contained in the premises, the place glass doorways had been shattered.
Folks additionally gathered outdoors the power and may very well be heard chanting, “We want clear air, not one other billionaire.”
A lady who recognized herself on digital camera as “Frankie” whereas officers detained her stated she was “getting arrested immediately for protesting Elon Musk.”
“He purchased his means into workplace, he purchased his means into heading a authorities company, he purchased his energy on the expense of the American folks, on the expense of our surroundings, on the expense of our world and all the folks in it,” the lady stated.
Six folks had been arrested, 5 for disorderly conduct and one for resisting arrest, in keeping with media experiences.
Another video posted on Musk-owned social media platform X appeared to point out 9 NYPD officers defending a single Cybertruck throughout the protest.
“9 cops to guard one Cybertruck, wonderful,” the individual filming the video stated.
In Toulouse, France, 12 Tesla vehicles were set on fire outdoors a dealership on March 5, destroying eight and severely damaging 4. Authorities have since opened a legal investigation.
The identical day, seven Tesla charging stations at a mall in Littleton, Mass., about 60 km outdoors of Boston, had been burned, inflicting heavy harm and sending up plumes of thick smoke.
In February, federal prosecutors charged a lady in reference to a string of vandalism in opposition to a Colorado Tesla dealership, which included Molotov cocktails being thrown at autos and the phrases “Nazi vehicles” spray-painted on the constructing.
The dealership estimated that a number of incidents of vandalism over the course of a couple of month brought about between $5,000 and $20,000 in damages, with an estimated $5,000 in harm to the autos.
In January, following a post-inaugural speech the place Musk made multiple Nazi salute-like motions, U.Ok.- and Germany-based activist teams projected a nonetheless picture of the billionaire tech mogul mid-gesture alongside the words “Heil Tesla” onto the surface of the corporate’s Gigafactory in Berlin.
On March 10, Musk admitted he’s having “nice issue” operating his companies as he juggles his advisory function in Trump’s administration, main DOGE.
In an interview on Fox Enterprise Community’s Kudlow, former Trump administration official Larry Kudlow requested Musk about his “name to motion” throughout the administration and the way he’s managing to maintain his corporations operating, together with Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and X.
“How are you operating your different companies?” Kudlow requested.
“With nice issue,” Musk responded.
Musk added that he’s “attempting to make authorities extra environment friendly” and to eradicate waste and fraud.
“And up to now, we’re making good progress, truly,” he stated.
—With information from World Information’ Michelle Butterfield and The Related Press
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