A Tesla dealership was subjected to an apparent attack in Salem, Oregon. Early Wednesday, gunfire shattered windows at the Tesla location.
This marks the second criminal strike against the Tesla store in a month, with the first incident being reported on January 20.
Latest incident:
- Authorities rolled up to 2755 Mission St. S.E. just before 5 a.m. after receiving reports of busted windows at the Tesla Salem store, as per a report from the Salem Reporter.
- As per agency spokeswoman Angela Hedrick, the damage appears to have been caused by gunshots.
- “Officers found the damage to be from gunshots,” Hedrick noted, adding that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing and that no arrests have been made so far.
- This recent attack follows a Jan. 20 arson incident at the Tesla store. In that incident, one car was torched, and a window was smashed.
- Cops labeled the January attack arson, though no suspects have been named to date.
Police are investigating a shooting that damaged windows at a Salem, Oregon Tesla dealership. https://t.co/BBYTKtlbmA pic.twitter.com/G9XpEQSst3
— KATU News (@KATUNews) February 19, 2025
Feds are stepping in:
- The FBI is assisting the Salem Police Department in its investigation into the two attacks on the Tesla store.
- Hedrick, however, did not explain why the FBI is involved. “The FBI’s standard practice is to assist local agencies with ligation their expertise or tools, for example, if it can benefit an investigation,” Hedrick noted.
- When asked if the incident was political, Hedrick noted that the investigation is still ongoing.
- “The incident was reported less than six hours ago, and we have detectives that are still on the scene gathering evidence and facts in the case,” Hedrick said when asked.
The Musk Target:
- Teslas are catching heat nationwide, thanks to CEO Elon Musk’s support of U.S. President Donald Trump and his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
- Political critics have called for Musk’s deportation and arrest, as well as a boycott of Musk-related products.
- In a comment to KATU2 News, Tesla owner Sharon Monsivais explained that she found the entire situation very unfortunate.
- “It is very unfortunate that we live in these times that these things are happening. I recognized that Elon Musk is a very controversial figure, and I bought this car knowing that he was a controversial figure. I don’t agree with everything that he does and don’t like him quite frankly, but I wanted a environmentally friendly car. I think it’s sending the wrong message to shoot up a dealership that has nothing to do with presumably whatever their feelings are,” she noted.
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