Authorities on Tuesday announced the arrest of a man seen in a viral video smiling gleefully from the backseat of his Tesla Model 3 as it sped across the Bay Bridge while engaged in "autopilot" mode.
Here's the kicker: He was arrested on Monday doing the exact same illegal thing he was recorded doing last weekend in a now viral incident.
California Highway Patrol said Param Sharma, 25, was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Rita Jail on two counts of reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer. "The Tesla was ultimately towed from the scene for evidence," Officer Don Franzen told KCBS Radio.
CHP initially posted to social media about a similar incident last weekend, then received "multiple 911 calls regarding an individual seated in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 without anyone seated in the driver’s seat" at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.
The vehicle was going eastbound on I-80 across the Bay Bridge toward Oakland.
"Thankfully, an Oakland CHP motor officer at the Bay Bridge toll plaza spotted the Tesla and confirmed that a single occupant was seated in the back seat and initiated an enforcement stop," he said.
As the officer was pulling Sharma over, they reported watching the suspect move from the Tesla's backseat into the driver’s seat and then stop on the shoulder, Franzen added.
It also isn’t the first time Sharma has been in trouble for this.
He was cited on April 27 for "similar behavior," Franzen said.
"We’d like to thank the public for providing valuable information that aided in this investigation and ultimately Sharma’s arrest," he added. By law, someone must be responsible for the operation of the vehicle while it's moving.
The incidents are under investigation.
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