Minneapolis police are detailing what they know about a string of vandalized Tesla vehicles over the last month.
Authorities says a total of six vehicles were keyed near downtown Minneapolis, and that these cases are unique because perpetrators are easily captured by the vehicles that are equipped with up to nine separate cameras.
Minneapolis Police chief Brian O’Hara says while he can't speculate on the motive in this case, he can say it’s a nationwide problem.
"It's hurting the people in this city that own these cars," says O'Hara. "And it is, certainly at least an inconvenience, and it's a significant loss of money to them."
An arrest has been made related to these incidents but that individual has yet to be charged in a crime O'Hara says is easily solved.
"Just frankly, this is pretty stupid," O'Hara adds. "There's high quality video on all these cars. It's committing a crime with a spotlight on you while the video is playing."
Investigators believe there are many similar Tesla cases that have gone unreported and are asking the public to call with any information.
A couple of weeks ago, Bloomington Police were looking for someone who committed a similar crime after a person keyed a Tesla outside of a grocery and liquor store.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department charged a man with vandalizing a Tesla dealership in New Mexico and setting fire to the headquarters of the state Republican Party.
The arrest is part of a federal crackdown on what Attorney General Pam Bondi has described as a wave of domestic terrorism against property carrying the logo of Musk’s electric-car company. Bondi previewed the arrest Thursday during a Cabinet meeting to highlight federal law enforcements’ efforts to go after vandals in recent weeks who have been targeting Tesla.
The Justice Department has charged four other cases against people accused of using Molotov cocktails to destroy Tesla cars and fire stations. The FBI last month created a task force to coordinate investigate efforts around the attacks with officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bondi has suggested prosecutors will make no plea deals with those charged in the Tesla attacks, telling the president at the White House on Thursday that “there will be no negotiations, at your directive.”