Inflict physical damage

‘Inflict physical damage’: Calif. group plans to vandalize Tesla cars

By Silas Valentino

A Northern California police department said it’s received several reports from Tesla owners about threatening notes left on their vehicles. The messages demand that they trade or sell their cars before Wednesday or face vandalism.

Sgt. Heidi Grossman with the Arcata Police Department told SFGATE that four Tesla owners in the city have contacted the department since last week about written threats of vandalism left on their cars. A note left on a Tesla in Arcata, first published in Lost Coast Outpost, said: “No Nazis in America. Tesla owners trade or sell before Feb 12. After that it is open season.”

A group calling itself SANE — Students Against Nazi Extremism — claimed responsibility for the threats in documents mailed to the outlet, which were received Monday, adding that SANE planned to target Teslas in four California cities.

A note received among the documents said 10 students in Arcata and Seaside in Monterey County had left threats on 13 Tesla cars, Local Coast Outpost reported. The group also described Tesla major shareholder Elon Musk as “an overt Nazi with a history of fascist, racist, misogynist and criminal behavior” and threatened to “inflict physical damage to Tesla-branded vehicles.” 

The documents mailed to Lost Coast Outpost list four California cities — Arcata, Rohnert Park, Seaside and Hayward — where the group said it plans to vandalize Teslas.

Nick Borges, the chief of police for the Seaside Police Department, told SFGATE that in response to the threats, the department has begun to take “precautionary measures” to protect a Tesla dealership in the city and alert Tesla drivers.

“We’ve had protests at our Tesla dealership in the past,” he said. “They were peaceful protests but we’ll go out there today to touch base with the business and prompt them with what’s being said.”

SANE wrote that its goal is to “create enough shame to make it onerous for anyone to buy or operate a Tesla-branded vehicle.”

Grossman said the Arcata Police Department opened an investigation into the threats and encourages anyone in the community with information to contact the department.