Being mad at Elon Musk in no way justifies vandalism. That doctrine could now end up costing an angry man 7 million kroner.
A man who scratched a Tesla now risks having to pay a whopping 7 million kroner in compensation to the car's owner.
The vandalism, which the man used a knife to do, left scratches all the way down the side of a Tesla Model X. The owner of the car has since shared the car's own footage on Facebook.
The car owner, Jeff Nguyen, had parked his car when the angry man with the key came by. So it was only when Jeff Nguyen returned to his Model X that he realized what had happened.
Fortunately for Jeff Nguyen, the car's built-in surveillance, called Sentry Mode, was activated, so he could subsequently put a face to the man with the key.
And shortly after Jeff Nguyen shared the video on Facebook, the man with the key was both identified and charged by the police.
Wants 7 million kroner because vandalism is never okay
Regarding his car purchase, Jeff Nguyen stated in an interview with the local press that he didn't buy the car because it's a Tesla.
– I only bought it because it's an electric car. It's fun to drive, but it has nothing to do with politics or anything like that.
However, the case of the man and the key has already taken the internet by storm. And that surprises Nguyen.
– This is crazy. Someone sent me a link and told me that Donald Trump Jr. had shared the video.
– It's crazy that it's become a political thing, says the Tesla owner.
Vandalism against electric cars, and specifically the kind against Tesla models, has in many ways become commonplace since Donald Trump became president again back in January.
Political disagreements and the debate about Tesla founder Elon Musk's support for Trump are just some of the things the vandals use to defend themselves. If they don't deny being behind it.
The suspect, identified as Rafael Hernandez, has now been charged in the case.
According to Nguyen's lawyer, Majed Nachawati, the lawsuit has a purpose beyond compensation for material damages.
It should also emphasize that vandalism is unacceptable.
– We cannot accept that people take the law into their own hands just because they have strong political views.
"No matter what you vote for, no one can justify this kind of behavior," says Nachawati.
In the United States, authorities consider attacks targeting Tesla owners and charging stations a growing problem.
The FBI has established a special unit tasked with investigating these types of crimes. For car owners, repairing damage to a Tesla can be costly. And it doesn't even have to be due to vandalism.
In Norway, for example, Tesla has just been defeated in a lawsuit over the poor paintwork of a brand-new car. In fact, the paintwork is so poor that the car needs to be completely repainted, according to the judge in the district court.
