LYNNWOOD—A total of six Cyber Trucks were vandalized at the Tesla dealership in Lynnwood Saturday morning, in what appears to be a protest of Elon Musk and his role within the federal government.
This is the same Tesla dealership where approximately 150 people gathered earlier this month protesting Musk’s role as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The incident is still being investigated by the Lynnwood Police Department. It is currently unclear whether this is connected to the four Tesla Cyber Trucks which were set afire in a Seattle storage facility that same day.
Tesla vehicles have been targeted across the country in recent days related to the richest man in the world’s role in government affairs and being granted special clearances. Many of these incidents involve painting swastikas, and other Nazi-era symbols. The usage of swastikas could also be used in reference to some of Trump’s critics calling him a “fascist” over, what they consider to be, authoritarian actions and rhetoric.
At the anti-Elon protest earlier this month some waved signs that called Tesla vehicles a “swasticar”
A Lake Stevens resident, who we will call Roro (given the nature of the story he was reluctant to use his real name) and one of the six victims, dropped off his Cyber Truck at the Tesla Service Center in Lynnwood last Friday for an A Pillar replacement. He got a call that Monday morning around 2 p.m. saying the lot experienced some vandalism.
Overnight, presumably around midnight, someone had spray painted several swastikas on Roro’s vehicle. As a gay Jewish man he felt personally attacked, he told the Lynnwood Times.
“It was a total gut punch. It definitely was hard,” said Roro. “I was fortunate because I did read what was going on in Seattle so I thought ‘well at least they didn’t catch it on fire.’ But still, we worked years for this truck, it’s not an inexpensive vehicle. You’re not hurting Elon, you’re hurting the average person. I already purchased the truck, Elon already got my money. So you’re just hurting hard working people and I don’t think that’s right.”
The other five Tesla vehicles vandalized—three lot-owned, and two personally owned vehicles, all Cyber Trucks—also included swastikas with some having the message “f*ck Elon” Painted in orange paint as well.
Unfortunately for Roro, when a Cyber Truck is undergoing maintenance, it enters what’s called a “service” mode which essentially puts it to sleep—including all its cameras—meaning he, nor the dealership, were able to capture any footage of the perpetrators.
The good news, however, is that most of the vandalism was on a year-old wrap that needed to be replaced, although some paint got in the fender and on the bumper. Roro said that Tesla will be covering the cost to refurbish in full.
He has no idea who may have vandalized his Cyber Truck but speculates it was a coordinated, and maybe even paid, effort. So far, he has not received word back from the Lynnwood PD.
The Lynnwood PD confirmed with the Lynnwood Times that the delay is due to working with federal partners to see if there is any connection between Lynnwood’s vandalism incident and others around the country.
According to the Police Report, obtained by the Lynnwood Times, there are no suspects at this time, but charges include Malicious Mischief – a Class B felony. Also, when the responding officer arrived on scene, approximately 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, there was a crowd of about 100 people waving signs protesting Musk.
A nation-wide movement entitled Tesla Takedown, organized by Seattle-based Valerie Costa, launched earlier this year sparking anti-Musk protests around the country. Costa insists that her gatherings are peaceful demonstrations. So far there is no evidence that supports whether the Tesla Takedown movement is in any way responsible for the region’s recent vandalisms.
Still, Elon Musk took to X on March 9 to post that “Costa is committing crimes.”
The Tesla dealership estimates total damages are in the range of $5,000 to $10,000. Keelan Masterson, Master Technician at Tesla Service Center Lynnwood, said that Tesla will be pursuing criminal charges.
Roro purchased his Cyber Truck last April. As a previous Tesla owner, he raced down to the Department of Licensing after it was first announced to get the plates, placing his name on the reservation list nearly four years ago.
Roro considers himself a Tesla enthusiast, owning two Model 3’s and a Model Y in addition to his Cyber Truck. His first Tesla, which he purchased in 2018, has almost 100,000 miles on it driving back-and-forth from sales appointments.
Prior to jumping on the Tesla bandwagon, Roro drove a Nissan but informed the Lynnwood Times it was a “night and day” difference the minute he drove a Tesla.
One of the biggest selling points for Roro is the safety for him and his family, he added, as well as the self-driving feature.
“It was well worth the wait,” he told the Lynnwood Times. “It’s a great vehicle. I don’t like driving any other car, even my other Teslas.”
On Tuesday, March 11, President Donald J Trump and Elon Musk said that anyone who is caught vandalizing a Tesla will be tried as a domestic terrorist.
That same day President Trump turned the south lawn of the White House into a Tesla showroom, which was live streamed on X (a platform owned by Musk). Trump also publicly declared that he would purchase a Tesla in support of Musk, despite being critical of electric vehicles prior.
A President publicly endorsing a consumer product, none-the-less using a federal platform and building to do so, is typically restricted by ethics restraints. Back in 2017 when Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway publicly endorsed Ivana Trump’s clothing line, for example, she received a warning from the government ethics office and promised to never do it again.
Some critics said the social media move only solidified Trump’s shift to an oligarchy – employing a handful of the richest people in America to have disproportional influence over the government.
“Just because the corruption plays out in public doesn’t mean it’s not corruption,” wrote Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on X.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
