Police arrest man suspected of setting fire to Tesla vehicles at Las Vegas service facility
By Andy Rose and Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Tue April 1, 20251/2
A man suspected of setting fire to several Tesla vehicles at a repair facility in Las Vegas last week has been arrested, authorities announced Thursday.
Police took a manidentified 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 countsincluding third-degree arson, unlawful possession of explosive and incendiary devices, destroying property and discharging a firearm into a vehicle or structure, Koren said.
Later Thursday, Kim was taken from state custody into federal custody, an FBI spokesperson told CNN. Kim now faces federal charges of arson and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.
Kim appeared in court Monday for a detention hearing, where a federal magistrate judge ruledhe will remain in custody for now, court documents show. Kim’s next hearing is scheduled for April 10. CNN has sought comment from Kim’s attorneys.
In a federal complaint filed Thursday, an FBI agent testified that a car seen on several surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the Tesla facility matches Kim’s personal vehicle. His cell phone was also in the area less than an hour before police were first called about the fires, according to the complaint.
The FBI discovered thatKim ownsfirearms and equipment consistent with the rounds fired at the Tesla vehicles, the agent said.
Koren said a review ofsurveillance footage showsthat around 2:45 a.m. 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 sprayed the word“RESIST”in pink paint 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.
In a search of Kim’s home, agents found pink paint and “multiple black hoodies” and face masks, according to the criminal complaint.They also found what they characterized as a handwritten getaway route from the Tesla facility.
Five vehicles were damaged including three that were destroyed, the assistant sheriff said. Koren said authorities are still working to determine a motive. (That’s just stupid, what the motive is? Really?)
Police say they believe Kim acted alone and there is currently no threat to the public.
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 Tesla facilities.
“There’s nothing courageous or noble about firebombing private property and terrorizing your local community,” Evans said 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 chargeslast 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 whosprayed an expletive against Trump and “Long Live Ukraine” in red paint in the parking lot, the agency said
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