A Texas man was arrested after allegedly damaging multiple Teslas across the city of Texarkana.
Demarqeyun Cox, aged 33, was arrested by the Texarkana Police Department for allegedly using a “mini four-wheeler” to ram into several Tesla vehicles. The police are investigating reports of damaged Teslas to determine if they are connected to Cox.
The suspect is facing charges of felony criminal mischief and failure to identify. He is currently in custody on a bond set at $105,000, as reported by the local NBC affiliate KETK-TV.
According to Texarkana Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Vaughn, Cox is tied to multiple vandalism incidents, but authorities are consolidating the charges into one due to considering them part of “one criminal episode.”
According to police, they received another report of a damaged Tesla after Cox’s arrest.
There has been an uptick in attacks on Tesla vehicles in recent months amid growing protests against CEO Elon Musk’s work with the Trump administration. Tesla vehicles and dealerships have been vandalized and damaged in several states and even in Canada.
The Trump administration has started cracking down on the vandals, calling the uptick in attacks “domestic terrorism.” So far, three suspects have been charged in connection with “the violent destruction of Tesla properties,” according to the Department of Justice. The defendants face charges that carry a minimum of five years in prison, but could go up to 20 years.
Bystander video shows a suspected arson attack after two Cybertrucks were set on fire at a Tesla dealership in Kansas City on Monday, March 17, 2025. (Levi Campbell via Storyful)
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Attorney General Pam 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.”
When asked whether he could see Cox’s case being taken up by the DOJ, Vaughn said, “If they would want to pursue it, I’m sure that the department would share the information with them.”
