By Andy Rose and Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN
Police departments across the United States have been investigating a wave of attacks on showrooms, charging stations and vehicles belonging to Tesla. Photo: AFP/CHRISTOPHE GATEAU
A man suspected of setting fire to several Tesla vehicles at a repair facility in Las Vegas last week has been arrested, authorities announced on Thursday.
Police took a man identified as Paul Kim, 36, into custody on Wednesday evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department assistant sheriff Dori Koren said during a news conference.
Kim is facing multiple felony counts including third-degree arson, unlawful possession of explosive and incendiary devices, destroying property and discharging a firearm into a vehicle or structure, Koren said.
Later on Thursday, Kim was taken from state custody into federal custody, where he will face federal charges, an FBI spokesperson told CNN.
FBI special agent in charge Spencer Evans said at a news conference the federal charges would likely include arson and possession of a destructive device.
Koren said a review of surveillance footage showed that around 2:45am on March 18, someone dressed in all black attire, gloves and with a concealed face approached the Tesla facility and used what appeared to be a rifle to shoot at surveillance cameras.
The suspect then spray painted the words "RESIST" across the front doors of the facility, Koren said.
He proceeded to shoot at multiple vehicles and used a Molotov cocktail to set them on fire.
Five vehicles were damaged including three that were destroyed, the assistant sheriff said.
Koren said authorities were still working to determine a motive.
Police said they believed Kim acted alone and there was currently no threat to the public.
CNN has not been able to determine if Kim has an attorney.
The suspect spray painted the words "RESIST" across the front doors of the facility. Photo: AFP/ETHAN MILLER
Police departments across the United States have been investigating a wave of attacks on showrooms, charging stations and vehicles belonging to Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk has taken on a controversial federal cost-cutting role in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Evans cautioned against the ongoing attacks on Telsa facilities.
"There's nothing courageous or noble about fire-bombing private property and terrorising your local community," Evans said on Thursday.
"The self-righteous mob that's cheering you on today to commit acts on violence on their behalf will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow.
"At the end of day, you and you alone will be held responsible and face the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence."
In a separate incident, 24-year-old Daniel Clarke-Pounder was arrested on criminal charges on Tuesday related to an arson at a North Charleston, South Carolina Tesla charging station on March 7, according to the Justice Department.
Witnesses reported seeing a man who sprayed an expletive against Trump and "Long Live Ukraine" in red paint in the parking lot, the agency said.
"The man then pulled out five incendiary explosive devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, and threw them at the Tesla chargers, damaging the chargers," the agency said in a news release Wednesday.
CNN has contacted an attorney for Clarke-Pounder for comment on his behalf.
"The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism," US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on Tuesday.
Bondi said the Department of Justice had already charged "several perpetrators with that in mind," including in cases that involved charges with long-term mandatory minimum sentences.
Surveillance video showed a person dressed in black shooting at the cars and igniting two of them with Molotov cocktails, according to police.
One unexploded Molotov cocktail was found inside a third car and was now being examined for evidence.
No injuries were reported, and the fire department extinguished the fires before they could reach the vehicles' batteries.
The Las Vegas facility. Photo: AFP/ETHAN MILLER
On March 3, seven Tesla charging stations in a mall outside of Boston were set on fire.
Five days later in New York City, six protesters were arrested for occupying a showroom.
In Colorado, a woman was accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and vandalising vehicles and a showroom.
"This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on X.
"Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks."
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the latest incident in Las Vegas, said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office.
"To those who might think that something like this is justifiable or potentially even admirable, we want you to know this is a federal crime," Evans added.
Last week, Bondi announced an investigation and vowed to crack down on vandalism against Tesla vehicles and showrooms.
"If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we're coming after you. And if you're funding this, we're coming after you. We're going to find out who you are," Bondi said on Fox Business.
While there have been no reports of injuries amid the reports of vandalism, the incidents pose a potential financial problem for Tesla.
The company faces declining sales for the first time because of increased competition and backlash over Musk's contentious role in the Trump administration.
Tesla recently reported the first drop in annual sales in its history, and there are indications sales could be down again this quarter.
While overall electric vehicle sales in Europe surged by 34 percent in January, sales of Teslas plummeted 50 percent.
Tesla's sales fell 29 percent in China - the company's second largest market after the United States - in the first two months of the year, according to Reuters.
And Tesla's US sales dropped 16 percent between December and January, according to an estimate from Cox Automotive.
- CNN
