A Gwinnett County woman is currently facing charges after authorities allege that she fired a BB gun at a Tesla dealership, causing an estimated $20,000 in damages. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the incident occurred just after 1 a.m last Monday, April 28, with surveillance footage capturing the act of vandalism that left the dealership's windows shattered.
"A suspected vehicle had driven past the dealership prior and fired something into the windows, a projectile that caused them to shatter," Cpl. Juan Madiedo of the Gwinnett County Police Department explained to FOX 5 Atlanta. Alexa Beckstead was later apprehended last Thursday, May 1, after law enforcement utilized surveillance video, County Flock cameras, and video from within a Tesla to identify the suspect, culminating in the recovery of a semi-automatic BB gun. It was not immediately clear if Beckstead was driving or a passenger at the time of the incident.
In a Channel 2 report, the Gwinnett County Police Department elucidated that no one was injured when the BB gun was fired from approximately 15 feet away. The charged individual, 35-year-old Beckstead, has since posted bond after being booked into the Gwinnett County Jail.
This act of vandalism against a Tesla establishment is not an isolated event, drawing connections to a pattern of hostility directed at the electric vehicle brand and its owners. "People should be allowed to express their own personal beliefs and ideology, as long as they don’t put anybody in harm’s way," Terry Travis, a Tesla owner and e-mobility consultant, told WSB-TV. In recent months, there have been reports of Tesla vehicles and dealerships across the country being targeted with various forms of violence, from gunfire to arson.
The FBI, in response to the growing number of attacks, has initiated a task force in conjunction with the ATF as of March, aimed at addressing these violent incidents, although no federal charges are being pursued in this particular case. Incidents such as this one have raised concerns among Tesla owners, some of whom have recounted experiences of being followed or aggressively confronted due to the vehicle they drive, "Nobody should be put in that situation and feel unsafe at any given point in time," Travis continued, as noted by WSB-TV
