A scholar may face “a long time behind bars” after being accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership in Missouri.
Owen McIntire is accused of setting fireplace to 2 Tesla Cybertrucks value greater than $100,000 every and damaging two charging stations value $550 every on March 17 at round 11:16 p.m. in Kansas Metropolis, the Department of Justice stated.
McIntire, a 19-year-old scholar at Boston’s College of Massachusetts, appeared in federal court docket Friday and has been charged with one depend of illegal possession of an unregistered damaging gadget and one depend of malicious injury by fireplace of any property utilized in interstate commerce.
“Let me be extraordinarily clear to anybody who nonetheless desires to firebomb a Tesla property: you’ll not evade us,” Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi stated. “You’ll be arrested. You’ll be prosecuted. You’ll spend a long time behind bars. It’s not value it.”
McIntire, a 19-year-old scholar at Boston’s College of Massachusetts, appeared in federal court docket Friday and has been charged with one depend of illegal possession of an unregistered damaging gadget and one depend of malicious injury by fireplace of any property utilized in interstate commerce. (Division of Justice)
Prosecutors allege that McIntire used a Molotov cocktail to start out the fireplace. A Kansas Metropolis police officer within the space noticed smoke coming from one of many Cybertrucks within the dealership’s parking heaps and likewise found a burnt rag subsequent to the Molotov cocktail, in response to an affidavit.
The officer tried to extinguish the flames however was unsuccessful and a second car caught fireplace. Hearth fighters arrived on the scene and put out the blaze, the affidavit stated.
McIntire was residence for spring break on the time of the incident, in response to the DOJ. Three witnesses gave descriptions that matched what McIntire was sporting that evening, in response to the affidavit.
“The person was sporting darkish flowy clothes and a big, white-colored hat and carrying a light-colored bag,” the affidavit stated. The hat was later discovered within the yard of a witness the day after the fireplace.
One other witness filmed a video of the fireplace and posted it on X, the affidavit stated. The witness claimed they noticed McIntire fleeing the scene.
McIntire was seen on surveillance footage at Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport after the incident, in response to the DOJ. He was apprehended by officers again in Boston. (Division of Justice)
The coed was additionally allegedly captured on surveillance at Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport after the incident. Legislation enforcement discovered proof pointing to McIntire after reviewing the coed’s social media profiles, cellphone information and flight info, the affadavit stated.
McIntire was apprehended after returning to high school in Boston.
Bondi is cracking down on what she described as “a wave of home terrorism” in opposition to Elon Musk’s Tesla autos. The backlash comes after the billionaire has taken a central position within the Trump administration via the Division of Authorities Effectivity.
Final week, the DOJ charged a person with vandalizing a Tesla dealership in New Mexico and setting fireplace to the headquarters of the state Republican Occasion.
A prison criticism prices Jamison R. Wagner, 40, with federal arson prices in reference to the vandalism in February at a Tesla showroom in Bernalillo, the place authorities discovered two Tesla Mannequin Y autos ablaze in addition to spray-painted graffiti messages together with “Die Elon” and “Die Tesla Nazi,” the Related Press reports.
The Justice Division has charged 4 different circumstances in opposition to individuals accused of utilizing Molotov cocktails to destroy Tesla vehicles and fireplace stations.
Source link