Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced the pressing of federal charges against a man from Colorado for his alleged role in attacking a Tesla dealership. Cooper Jo Frederick, a 24-year-old from Fort Collins, is accused of firebombing the Loveland Tesla premises on March 7. Bondi emphasized the gravity of such actions: "If you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you and put you behind bars," Bondi said, as per KDVR.
Frederick, who was apprehended in Plano, Texas, following an FBI investigation, is to potentially face 20 years imprisonment. In a video statement, Bondi asserted, "Justice is coming," in a bid to strongly warn others against similar violent acts. The accused is said to have launched an incendiary device that failed to break into the building, instead causing damage to nearby parked cars. The incident was met by first responders, and no injuries were reported, thanks to the diligent action of an officer at the scene, as noted by Fox News. Frederick faces additional charges at the state level for arson and criminal mischief.
The Loveland Tesla dealership had been the target of multiple incidents over weeks, with this attack being the fifth reported crime, which included property damage from rocks thrown through windows and defacement with graffiti. The federal charges against Frederick, according to The Daily Beast, include two counts of possessing an incendiary device, manufacturing one, and using it in the commission of a felony.
The situation appears to be part of a wider stream of discontent aimed at Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his new role within the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Another defendant, Lucy Grace Nelson, was also implicated in a separate situation involving Molotov cocktails at the same dealership. As AG Bondi stated, these acts represent "a serious threat to public safety," and thus highlighted the DOJ's stern stance against such violence. Bondi underscored the stern response of law enforcement, "there will be no negotiation," she declared, as obtained by Fox News, about dealing with episodes of domestic terrorism.
