Federal agencies are investigating multiple fires at Tesla facilities in Missouri and Nevada for possible arson and terrorism.
Five Tesla vehicles were damaged by fire and bullets at a Tesla Collision Center on West Badura Avenue in Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 18. The first reports about the fire came in around 2:45 a.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
“As officers arrived, they located several vehicles fully engulfed in flames and the word ‘Resist’ spray painted on the building,” the LVMPD statement said. “The Clark County Fire Department responded, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.”
The suspect reportedly wore all black and used Molotov cocktails to set two vehicles ablaze. The LVMPD recovered an undetonated device inside one of the vehicles. The suspect reportedly fired three rounds from a firearm into the vehicles. The attack was “targeted,” said LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren during a news conference. The LVMPD also shared a video of the incident.
The LVMPD investigation is ongoing in collaboration with the Clark County Fire Department and the FBI.
Anyone with any information about this incident should contact the Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center at 702-828-7777 or its website. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555, or use its website.
Two more Tesla vehicles were damaged by fire on Monday, March 17. Shortly before midnight, a Kansas City Police Department officer reported a fire at the Tesla Store and Service Center on State Line Road in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a news article from local news station KMBC.
As KCFD Firefighters responded to the scene, the fire spread to a second Cybertruck before it was put out. The KCPD Bomb and Arson Unit also assisted. The FBI and ATF describe the fire as “suspicious in nature.”
The police department is working with the FBI and ATF to investigate the cause of the fire. The FBI and ATF are working with federal, state, and local law enforcement to investigate similar incidents across several states, according to a statement by the FBI’s Kansas City field office.
The two fires are the latest incidents for Tesla, which has faced protests and vandalism across the U.S. and the world after Elon Musk’s prominent role in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Anyone who sees suspicious activity or has information about potential threats should contact their local FBI or ATF field offices or tip lines at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 1-888-ATF-TIPS.
