By The Epoch Times | Created at 2025-03-15 22:19:07 | Updated at 2025-03-16 13:45:32
16 hours ago
Another suspect connected to the attack on the same dealership is facing federal prosecution.
Police on Thursday arrested another suspect in connection with the vandalism of a Tesla dealership in northern Colorado.
Cooper Jo Frederick, a resident of Fort Collins, faces five felony charges, including second-degree arson, for allegedly targeting the Loveland Tesla dealership on March 7. According to a police statement, an incendiary device was ignited and thrown at the building, landing between two vehicles. A cleaning crew at that time was working inside.
Earlier reports from the Loveland Police Department indicated that someone used a gas-filled container to start a fire between two vehicles parked between two buildings at the dealership. Officers quickly responded and put out the flames, while also discovering that rocks had been thrown at the dealership, causing damage to several cars and the building.
The March 7 incident is the latest in a string of vandalism incidents targeting the Loveland Tesla dealership, which has been repeatedly attacked since January. Last month, police arrested Lucy Grace Nelson in connection with multiple acts of graffiti and the use of Molotov cocktails at the dealership between Jan. 29 and Feb. 24. The words “Nazi cars” were spray-painted on the building, alongside a message seemingly directed at Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Nelson, a man who identifies as a transgender woman, faces a single federal charge of malicious destruction of property, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
Loveland police have stated that the March 7 incident does not appear to be connected to Nelson, who was arrested on Feb. 24 after being confronted by officers at the dealership. Inside Nelson’s car, police discovered a container of gasoline along with bottles and wick materials similar to those used in prior attacks.
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The attacks on Tesla properties in Loveland are part of a larger wave of incidents targeting Tesla cars, showrooms, and charging stations across the United States.
In recent months, protests have erupted at various Tesla locations in response to job and budget cuts implemented by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. Alongside demonstrations, reports of vandalism have become widespread.
On March 3, seven Tesla charging stations at a mall outside Boston were set on fire. Three days later, on March 6, police in Oregon responded to gunshots fired at a Tesla showroom in Tigard, a southern suburb of Portland, Oregon. Investigators reported that at least seven shots were fired, inflicting damage to three cars, shattering windows, and puncturing a wall and computer monitor.
“While the motivation for this has not been confirmed, we are aware that other Tesla dealerships have been targeted across Oregon and the nation for political reasons,” Tigard police said in a March 6 statement.
More recently, in Seattle, police and fire departments have responded to multiple incidents of Tesla vehicles being set on fire, including a blaze on March 9 that damaged four Tesla Cybertrucks parked in an electric vehicle storage lot.
In response to the surge in attacks, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into whether any organized groups are funding the attacks.
“If you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we’re coming after you,” Bondi said during an interview on Fox Business Networks “Mornings with Maria” on Friday.
President Donald Trump has also stepped in to express support for Musk amid the turmoil. In a show of solidarity, Trump inspected several Tesla vehicles brought to the White House and selected one to buy.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced on March 12 that Congress will launch an investigation into the incidents, characterizing the attacks on Tesla vehicles and their owners as domestic terrorism.
