Kansas City man charged after Molotov cocktail attack on Tesla dealership
Owen McIntire, faces charges for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership, causing damage to vehicles and charging stations. Federal prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges.
A 19-year-old man from Kansas City, Missouri, has been charged with multiple criminal offenses after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in March, setting fire to several vehicles and damaging valuable property.
The Justice Department's announcement on April 18 revealed the charges, which include unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious destruction of property.
Molotov cocktail incident at Kansas City Tesla dealership
The incident happened on March 17, when Owen McIntire came back home from college in Boston. According to court reports, he allegedly targeted the Tesla dealership with a Molotov cocktail he created using a glass bottle of apple cider vinegar, a towel and gasoline.
2 Tesla Cybertrucks and 2 vehicle charging stations were damaged in the fire. Photo: Tesla
Police officers found the bottle and the towel covered with burn marks at the scene. The fire damaged 2 Tesla Cybertrucks and 2 vehicle charging stations before firefighters were able to control the fire.
McIntire was identified as a suspect due to a combination of witnesses reports and surveillance footage, in which you can see him approaching the Tesla dealership and throwing the Molotov cocktail at a Cybertruck.
Authorities react to the attack on Tesla property
Attorney General Pamela Bondi firmly stated her stance on the attack and called it "domestic terrorism": “Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us.”
“You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it,” she continued on her statement.
She was not the only one. FBI Director Kash Patel, shared that McIntire's arrest is the second one this week regarding damages to Tesla property, the first one being Jamison Wagner's on April 14. He also condemned these actions, calling them "dangerous and illegal".