Photo: Paul Christian Gordon/Alamy Stock Photo
Across the country, critics of Elon Musk have taken to town-hall meetings and sidewalk demonstrations to protest the Tesla CEO’s outsize role in the federal government that has resulted in mass layoffs and steep cuts among agencies. But some detractors have escalated their dissent, vandalizing Tesla dealerships and charging stations, many times with arson, to send a message to the world’s richest man and his political partner, Donald Trump.
In the days since, the Trump administration has rallied behind Musk with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi denouncing the Tesla vandalism as a form of “domestic terrorism” and vowing to prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law. Bondi made good on her promise on Thursday announcing that the Justice Department has levied charges against three people accused of using Molotov cocktails to destroy Tesla property.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Bondi said in a statement. “Let this be a warning: If you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”
In a press release, the Justice Department did not name the three individuals but outlined their actions in incidents that occurred in Oregon, Colorado, and South Carolina. Though the announcement was new, it appeared to be more of a summary of recent actions undertaken by the Justice Department in multiple states over the past few weeks.
In Oregon, one person was arrested after allegedly throwing multiple Molotov cocktails at a Salem Tesla dealership. Per the agency, they were also armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle. This account lines up with the arrest of Adam Matthew Lansky, a 41-year-old man whom the U.S. Attorney’s office in Oregon reported was charged earlier this month with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in South Carolina, 24-year-old Daniel Clarke-Pounder was witnessed spray-painting “F*ck Trump” and “Long Live Ukraine” in red at Tesla charging stations, and reportedly he later used five Molotov cocktails to destroy the chargers. He was arrested and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
In Colorado, an individual was arrested after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails at a dealership, the agency noting that they were found “in possession of materials used to produce additional incendiary weapons.” In February, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Colorado announced 42-year-old Lucy Grace Nelson had been charged with one count of malicious destruction of property.
The FBI is said to be investigating more recent incidents at Tesla dealerships. On Tuesday, Teslas at a Las Vegas–area center were set on fire and shot numerous times. Musk himself responded to a video of the burning cars on social media. “This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong,” he wrote. “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”