Justice Division Costs 19-Yr-Previous in Tesla Cybertruck Assault

The Justice Division charged a 19-year-old with “firebombing” Cybertrucks in Kansas.

The federal government charged Owen McIntire, 19, with one rely of illegal possession of an unregistered harmful machine and one rely of malicious harm by hearth, the Justice Division mentioned.

McIntire made his first courtroom look on Friday, however it was unclear if he had but secured an legal professional.

Protesters offended with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s work with the White Home DOGE Workplace to cut back authorities spending and lower employees have attacked a number of Tesla services throughout the US in latest weeks. Musk has mentioned DOGE seeks to lower at the least $1 trillion from the federal finances. Its efforts are actually the topic of a number of lawsuits.

Knowledge from Cox Automotive reveals that used Tesla listings reached a file excessive in March. The corporate’s inventory value has additionally plummeted. And coordinated protests focusing on Tesla passed off throughout the nation late final month.

Two weeks earlier than these protests, on March 17, the Justice Division mentioned officers of the Kansas Metropolis Police Division in Missouri noticed smoke coming from a Cybertruck parked at a Tesla dealership. The officers noticed an unbroken Molotov cocktail close to the smoking truck. The officer recovered the Molotov cocktail, however the hearth nonetheless unfold to a second Cybertruck.

Legal professional Basic Pamela Bondi beforehand mentioned the Justice Division would search 20 years in jail for one more man accused of attacking a Tesla dealership in Colorado.

Bondi mentioned that the Kansas Metropolis incident ought to function one other reminder that “anybody who nonetheless desires to firebomb a Tesla property: you’ll not evade us.”

“You’ll be arrested. You’ll be prosecuted. You’ll spend a long time behind bars. It isn’t price it,” Bondi mentioned. One of many costs McIntire faces carries a most penalty of 20 years.

FBI Director Kash Patel mentioned within the Justice Division press launch that that is the second arrest of a suspect focusing on Tesla this week, which is “extra proof that the FBI won’t stand for these harmful acts.”

“These actions are harmful, they’re unlawful, and we’re going to arrest these accountable,” Patel mentioned.

The Justice Division says the 2 broken Cybertrucks had a mixed sale value of $212,970. The hearth additionally broken two charging stations, which have been valued at $550 every.