A Tesla employee from Minnesota was arrested in Austin, Texas, after allegedly threatening to kill President Joe Biden and the electric car company's CEO, Elon Musk. The arrest affidavit reveals that 31-year-old Justin Matthew McCauley made grave statements on an online platform, targeting both the president and prominent businessman Musk, along with the companies associated with the latter.
McCauley, who ditched his cellphone before leaving his home state, reportedly drove straight to Texas, raising suspicions and a swift response from his wife who reported his absence to the local authorities, according to details provided by KVUE. En route, during a stop by law enforcement in Oklahoma, McCauley expressed a desire to converse with President Biden, purportedly stating, "Wouldn't you want to talk to the president if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?"
It was on January 27 that the Travis County Sheriff's Office first became aware of the threatening online messages. One such message said, "I will arrive in Texas, where the war has began on many fronts @X, @Tesla," as reported by FOX 7 Austin.
McCauley's social media activity was quoted verbatim in the affidavit, including a direct threat: "@JoeBiden @X @Tesla @Elonmusk, I am planning to Kill all of you".
The following day, deputies intercepted McCauley on Interstate 35 in Austin, where he admitted his plans to go to the Tesla Gigafactory in Del Valle to attempt to make contact with Musk. He was arrested for the terroristic threat and his bond was set at $20,000. He currently remains in the custody of the Travis County jail, as per KVUE.
