Police announced on Monday that a suspect has been taken into custody following a widely circulated video showing a man damaging a Tesla by keying it in a Costco parking lot. The incident occurred last Friday, as detailed in a report by Fox 11 Los Angeles.
According to San Jose police, the individual responsible for the felony vandalism was successfully apprehended within less than a day of the video going viral. The police department shared this update on social media, praising the swift identification, location, and arrest of the suspect.
San Jose police have not released the suspect’s name.
In the footage, a dark Hyundai SUV pulled up next to a white Tesla in the parking lot. An elderly man with white facial hair, donning a “USA” leather jacket adorned with an American eagle on the back, emerged from the SUV and proceeded to scratch the side of the Tesla.
The video, which garnered over 600 views on X, was recorded using the vehicle’s Sentry Mode, a security feature that allows the car’s cameras to monitor its surroundings when parked.
Mayor Matt Mahan reacted to the incident and said Tesla owners shouldn’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing. (KPIX CBS NEWS BAY AREA/YouTube)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who saw the police department’s statement on X, responded to the post with an American flag emoji.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also reacted to the incident in another post on X.
“Keying a car because you don’t like the person who designed it is like breaking a clock because you don’t like the time it shows,” Mahan said. “If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away.”
“This senseless crime and its subsequent consequences should serve as a clear reminder: no matter one’s personal beliefs or frustrations, they do not justify illegal actions,” the police said. “I urge everyone to respect one another and, above all, to respect the law.”
Teslas have been targets for mass acts of vandalism while protests against Musk are surging across the nation.
