Attorney General Pam Bondi charges 3 in Tesla attacks, vows crackdown on ‘domestic terrorism’
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced “severe charges” against three people the Department of Justice claims are behind “the violent destruction of Tesla properties.”
Each defendant faces charges that could result in a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison, the agency said in a press release. It’s unclear what exact charges have been brought against the defendants, but no serious injuries have been reported.
“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.”
Attacks on Elon Musk’s Tesla vehicles, charging stations, and showrooms have shot up since President Trump took office and put Musk in charge of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, which is culling federal workforces and shutting down agencies in an attempt to cut spending.
Trump earlier this month said violence against Tesla would be labeled as domestic terrorism and defendants would “go through hell.”
The Justice Department said each of the three defendants in Thursday’s release used Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla cars or charging stations. They were arrested in Salem, Oregon; Loveland, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina.